I

VOICE of the ANCESTORS

Adventure Booklet for WÜRM Number 1

Tales of the Antler Bearers

Credits
Authors
Olivier Castan
Julien Clément
Frédéric Debout
Emmanuel Roudier

Translator
Kathy Calmejane

Project Manager
Emmanuel Roudier, Jean-François Morlaës

Technical Coordinator
Franck « Booga » Florentin

Proofreaders
Kathy Calmejane, François-Xavier Cuende,
Frédéric Debout, Arnaud Prié, Emmanuel Roudier,
Stewart Wieck, Yodram

Artist & Graphic Designer

Emmanuel Roudier

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 Preface
At La Cour d’Obéron, we love projects that are kind of crazy, generous challenges, shared
adventures and close friendships. So when Emmanuel Roudier knocked on our door in the
fall of 2007, carrying his amateur version of Würm under one arm, we gave him a warm
welcome on the site and the forum. As we “Oberonists” began to discover and discuss
Würm, it was soon obvious that this “prehistoric” game would open up a whole range of
opportunities for fun, far beyond the basic survival adventures of the ice age. Spirituality,
music, cannibalism, the fate of a whole clan, and of course the old favorites – love, hate,
jealousy, fear, betrayal, sacrifice – that make up the greatest and strongest tales since the
Bear-men and Long Men began to tell them.

Of course, we cheered heartily when Würm found a professional publisher in Editions Icare.
In the meantime, a group of Oberonists had come together with Emmanuel to create an
informal group, pondering and plotting the future of the collection around the campfire, at
the back of the cave. Therefore, it was quite naturally that, to mark the release of this “pro”
edition in 2011, and after a (Bison) flesh and blood (of Ao) meeting at Tarascon-sur-Ariège
on a freezing day in June, the idea was born to organize a competition for scenarios and
adventure ideas. It was launched shortly after, and with the double sponsorship of La Cour
d’Obéron and Editions Icare, it ran from the fall equinox to the winter solstice of 2011.

Once the results were announced, the fine tuning of the scenarios became more of an
editorial job: it truly was a shared adventure and – if we may be so bold – a close relationship
was formed between authors and jury, under Emmanuel’s demanding yet benevolent
leadership.

The publication of this Voice of the Ancestors is a matter of great satisfaction for La Cour
d’Obéron. With Editions Icare, we launched the scenario contest to give this collection a
varied and high quality basis for play. The result has arguably reached, and even exceeded,
the expectations that we had when we dared to launch the contest. We will only know for
sure when you, the players of Würm, tell us just how much fun you are having with these
adventures.

May the Spirit of Mordagg travel with you on these paths that we hope will be
fascinating!

La Cour d’Obéron

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Table of Contents

l
Preface 2

Introduction 4

The Red Crown 6

by Julien Clément

The Ocher Hill 22

by Emmanuel Roudier

Legends of the Torn Mountains clan 28

by Olivier Castan

What Lies in Wait 29

by Olivier Castan

Legends of the Torn Mountains clan 34

by Olivier Castan

The Great Silence 35

by Frédéric Debout

Old Lynx Beard’s Wise Advice 55

The Rule of the Liver – The Strengths of Other Animals
by Emmanuel Roudier

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 Introduction
My dear readers,

Welcome, and thank you for buying this first edition of Voice of the Ancestors!
The booklet you are holding right now is the first in a series of scenario collections
for Würm ; it contains stories, nothing but stories, to take you and your friends on
new adventures in the ice age.

This first Voice of the Ancestors is made up of four adventures. Three of these
stories revolve around the common theme that gives this book its title: the “antler
bearers”. The stag in The Red Crown, the megaloceros in The Ocher Hill and the
reindeer in The Great Silence. To tell these tales, we are very happy to present scenarios
from the quills of Julien Clément, Frédéric Debout, Olivier Castan and myself for
this edition. As you will see, these adventures are as varied in their twists and turns as
they are united in the will to each present a different approach to the world of Würm.

Two of the adventures featured in this book came to us through the Würm scenario
contest in 2011, organized jointly between Editions Icare and the role-playing game
forum Cour d’Obéron. This original initiative has borne some very juicy fruit.
The debates to select the winning texts were very close at times. The objectively
established and identical criteria that we had established to compare each story were
systematically overshadowed by each jury member’s subjective opinion. After careful
consideration, The Red Crown, a scenario by Julien Clément, was selected as the winner
of the contest. This is why it is the opening adventure for this book, and indeed
for the whole series of Voice of the Ancestors. However, given the quality of the
contributions that we received, we chose to publish almost all of the scenarios written
for the contest. The Red Crown has hardly been edited at all, whereas the others have
seen some minor edits, decided jointly with the authors and jury members. Two other
scenarios from the contest are part of the second edition of Voice of the Ancestors.

4
The scenarios collected in this book are not a pre-written “campaign”. They are a
collection of adventures, some of them longer than others, which explore the various
ways in which you can play the game. Feel free to adapt each of them to your own
campaign, to the world that you have chosen to create. Trust your instincts: Würm is
not a game of “secrets”; it has no official campaign structure, and does not force the
Game Master to follow any prehistoric cannon (although we do, of course, encourage
you all to deepen your knowledge on the period). The limits of the world of Würm
are non-other than those of your own curiosity and imagination.
We hope that you enjoy these stories as much as we did. Of course, each of them can
lead to further adventures. Not only are you free to develop those yourself, following
the direction that your players may take, but in fact we encourage you to.

Three of the scenarios in this booklet are designed to be played by a group of

Long Men, another is designed for a group of Bear-men. This is detailed at the
beginning of each scenario. An icon of a Long Man or a Bear-man will give you a
visual indication. Depending on whether the character is naked, clothed or armed, the scenario
will be simple, fairly easy or tricky to follow for the Game Master. We trust each Game Master
to estimate for himself the difficulty of each scenario for his group of characters and
players. Indeed, this difficulty depends not only on the size of the group, but also on
their type and experience. For quicker reading, the terms “Game Master”, “Player-
Character” and “Non-Player Character” will be noted in the rest of this booklet
as GM, PC and NPC. The reference rules for this booklet are those of the core
rulebook published by Nocturnal.

To end this introduction, I would like to give my warmest thanks to the whole team
of the jury of the contest organized by La Cour d’Obéron, and who also participated
in the proofreading of this booklet. A special thank you to you, Laetitia, François-
Xavier and Éric, for your help and your enthusiasm. This booklet would never have
made it without you!

Enjoy your reading and your games!

Emmanuel Roudier

5
 The Red Crown
The Red Crown is an open tribal intrigue scenario. It is suitable for any group of Long Men
based during the Gravettian culture period (ideally) or the Aurignacian, regardless of their actual
location. Given the landscapes and the fauna described in the scenario, it seems logical that the events
take place somewhere in Europe, but with a few small changes, it could take part elsewhere (or at
another time). The places described in the scenario are based on a real prehistoric site (see the inset
"La Roque?"). However, this site could very well exist elsewhere, and the Game Master can move it
to wherever the players are used to living. To make things easier at the beginning of the adventure, we
suppose that the PCs are already an integral part of the community that lives there. This can either
be the case since their birth or only for the last season. They are young members of the clan who are
impatient to prove their worth to the clan.

Summary
Fall. The clan has returned from its summer
wanderings to hunt. The great terraces cut
into the chalk cliffs of La Roque are once
again brought to life by the presence of the
dozens of men, women and children who
huddle there at night, safe from the weather
and from predators. The PCs are among
them. They are mainly younger members of
the clan. The most respected hunters usually
set up their homes on the upper terrace
from which they can easily run off towards a
passing herd or an approaching enemy clan.
The PCs are eager to prove that they too
are worthy of everyone’s respect, by actively
taking part in the clan’s daily activities. That
is when He appeared. So majestic, so red,
so troubling. He is the Great Red Stag, a
fantastical creature with a crown of antlers
as red as His coat. Nobody knows where
He came from, nor why He remains here,
mocking even the most seasoned hunters
who do not dare to try and claim such a
strange trophy. After all, who knows if He
is not in fact a Spirit? Who will solve the
mystery of the red beast? Who would dare
to slay Him and claim His red crown?

6
 An adventure for Long Men
characters, preferably with a
seasoned Game Master.

Introduction What’s at Stake?

This scenario is presented in an open fashion
to allow everyone, GM and players alike, to
customize it based on their own preferences,
their own themes, and the personality of
their characters. First, we will paint a picture
of the location and a few of its inhabitants.
This first part will allow the GM to play out
the day-to-day life of the clan, if he wants
to, and the PCs can use it to establish their
position within the community.
Then it will be time for the triggering event
of the adventure. The exact circumstances
of this apparition will be, at the very most,
suggested, in order to leave plenty of room
for you all to find the explanation that you
like best. This is clearly not a “mystery”
scenario: seeking a plausible explanation
for the appearance of the Beast is not part
of the objectives. Würm offers a game-
playing context where it is perfectly normal
to not always have a rational reason for
things. Each player will have his or her own
interpretation, and they will all be right.
The scenario is made up of scenes, all of
them optional, and which act as a number of
suggestions for the Game Master as to how
to run this plot while letting the characters
play an active part in it.
Okay. So just between us, let’s get this
straight: just what exactly is this Great Red
Stag? He is the calm before the storm. He
is the first gust that announces the arrival
of new winds. In a word, He is change. At
the time of Würm, small groups of humans
are experimenting with various empirical
forms of social organization, depending
on their needs and opportunities. Here, for
example, it is the unique characteristics and
environment of La Roque (see below) that
allowed men to consider setting up camp
for a little longer on the edge of the eternal
hunting path.
But the time of kings and great cities is not
yet come for humankind. There is always a
grain of sand that comes along to challenge
the status quo. So the old chief, worn out
by his time in power, is buried with all due
honors, then the younger men take over,
and the tribe moves on. In this scenario,
that grain of sand is represented by the
Great Red Stag. The PCs are destined to
play the young ones. And for the adventure
to be a great one, they will need to seize this
opportunity and act to change the way things
are to their advantage.

La Roque?
The location for this scenario is very freely inspired by a real place in the valley of the Vézère river in the Perigord
region of France. This is the famous "Valley of Mankind", so named because it is so rich in iconic prehistoric
locations: La Madeleine (that gave its name to the Magdalenian period), Le Moustier (that gave its name to the
Mousterian), and of course the cave of Lascaux. More specifically, La Roque is based on La Roque Saint-Christophe.
It is located in the commune of Peyzac-le-Moustier near the town of Eyzies. In this case, the shelter of the Outer-
Roque and the painted cave that can be found nearby, could be the nearby site of Le Moustier.
In any case, first hand knowledge or extra research of these real locations can be a real advantage for the GM, but
won't really be of any use to the players. The location for this scenario can be moved anywhere where it could be
useful to the GM's campaign.
Note that the unique beauty of the site of La Roque Saint-Christophe inspired scenes in the novel The Shelters of
Stone by Jean M. Auel. Although it is not directly connected to this scenario, reading this "prehistoric" novel can
certainly be inspiring for anyone playing Würm. We should also point out that Robert Merle also places the action
of his post-apocalyptic novel Malevil in this location. In his story the troglodytic location that he describes is
simply known as "La Roque", a shortened name that we have borrowed for this scenario.
7

The Middles
To the plateau
Above
These are a few of the things that they will
probably need to consider:
Who will take over the power in La Roque
once Tay-Hay’s time inevitably ends?
What kind of organization will then be put
in place on the terraces?
What will the relationship be like between La
Roque and the Outer-Roque?
Will they need to change their Guardian
Spirit?
There will probably be many more questions
that will appear during this adventure.
The Stone Shelters
The PCs’ clan is almost completely
sedentary. It owes this specificity to a rare
geological formation found nearby. The
Greenwater, nowadays a fairly small river,
runs through a valley. Once powerful and
hectic, the river shaped the landscape
around it to that grand scale, before retiring,
exhausted, into its current bed. The most
remarkable feature is a long chalk cliff, rising
up along the bank of the river. It is about a
thousand steps long and eighty steps high.
The cliff sides bear scars where the river
waters once ran. Each period made its mark
on the cliff face by carving out terrace-
shaped formations all the way along it. The
moment they came across this landscape,
8 The Red Crown
The Uppers
the humans seized the godsend it offered
them. With some wood, some dried leaves
and most of all the endless passage of their
feet, generation after generation, they ended
up modeling the formations into a gigantic
troglodytic shelter with layered terraces. This
is La Roque.
La Roque is divided up into several terraces.
Their number is variable, as they do not all
run the whole length of the cliff. For the
most part, the terraces can be divided into
three sections:
• The Lowers
In close proximity to the river and the
bottom of the valley, these are the most
exposed terraces. Predators, enemies,
floods... the inhabitants of the Lower
terraces have plenty to worry about.
However, their position close to the water
and ground also has some advantages: access
to drinking water, fishing... The inhabitants
of the Lowers have to carry out a lot of
useful tasks for the community: surveillance,
loading and unloading goods from the rafts,
etc. These rather laborious tasks do not give
these people much opportunity to shine, but
they need to be done, and all the inhabitants
of La Roque respect the inhabitants of the
Lowers for their work.
 The Uppers
The Lowers
• The Uppers
The spacious upper terrace has the best
view. It is also the one that allows access,
through the Middles, to the upper plateau,
and therefore reach the good hunting
grounds, outside the valley. This is also
the terrace for protection, a place where
predators and enemies can’t reach. The
upper terraces are usually inhabited by
men only, the best hunters and the greatest
warriors. They are, in fact, those upon whom
the community depends for its survival,
and are therefore, in a way, the chiefs of the
group.
• The Middles
The Middles are the terraces in between, and
the isolated rock shelters in the cliff face.
This is where all the people who only have a
secondary importance huddle together: the
women and children of the men from the
Uppers, and the elders. The access to the
Middles from the plateau is defended day
and night by two watchers.
La Roque is an exceptional shelter, in terms
of the comfort and size of its troglodytic
living space. The children survive, the young
adults stay, and nomads stop there if they
are made welcome. Because of all this, the
Towards the Outer-Roque and the forest
population of La Roque has developed
considerably. This is a strength, as they
always have plenty of helping hands, and
because it provides a greater protection
against nearby clans. However, it can also be
a weakness, and in some ways, La Roque is
constantly at risk of overpopulation. Finding
supplies is an ongoing issue, and it creates
tensions between the clan members when
it comes to sharing or making decisions
when things run short. Generally speaking,
tensions are not something easy to bear in
a shelter where space and intimacy are the
rarest of commodities.
It is in response to this problem that,
generation after generation, the clan formed
the Outer-Roque. This is another rock
shelter, a much smaller one, situated just a few
hundred steps from the cliff, at the bottom
of the valley. It was long considered taboo,
deemed fairly useless by the inhabitants of
the terraces, but the shelter ended up being
reinstated as a place to house all of those
who ended up becoming unwelcome on
the terraces: any rebellious, antisocial or
disturbing individuals. Gradually, the Outer-
Roque has become a small community of its
own, dependent on La Roque, from which
they traditionally receive ritual deliveries of
leftover meat, fish, etc.
The Red Crown 9
 On the terraces of La Roque
La Roque is inhabited on an almost
sedentary basis. Only part of its inhabitants,
the hunters of the Uppers with some of the
young folk from the Middles, leave during
the warm season on hunting expeditions far
away. The rest of the time, the surrounding
land provides small and medium-sized game,
berries and roots that grow abundantly in the
surrounding woods.
Of course, the Greenwater river plays a
major role in the attachment the inhabitants
feel for this place. It gives them access to
fresh water, it provides extra resources
through fishing and even allow them to
leave the valley easily in wooden dugouts or
rafts made of bundles of sticks. It is easy
to understand, therefore, that La Roque’s
Guardian Spirit is the River Spirit, to whom
sacrifices are regularly made to appease the
ancestral Spirits. The people of La Roque
also honor the Spirits of the ancestors who
first were inspired to set up their camp in
these miraculous shelters.
This culture revolving around exceptional
individuals, and undoubtedly the necessities
of a vertical habitat, created the conditions
for the precocious social hierarchy at La
Roque. Although there are no tyrants among
them, the hunting leaders of the Uppers are
indisputably the leaders of the clan. Among
them, Tay-Hay is the most respected.
Note: the Guardian Spirit of the Greenwater gives
all the people of La Roque the Strength Fins of
the Salmon. The people of the Outer-Roque do not
have any particular Strengths.
10
Tay-Hay
Tay-Hay is undoubtedly the best hunter to
ever walk the chalky floors of the terraces
of La Roque. His strength, speed and
especially his natural authority earned him
the attention and acceptance of the hunters
of the Uppers. At the time he had not
even reached the end of his sixteenth year.
Although it has never been officially stated,
many consider him to be the chief of the
clan. Of course, when, a few seasons ago,
when the clan needed to organize a hunting
expedition in the middle of winter to make
up for a decreasing stock of meat, he was
the one they entrusted with the expedition
lead. Similarly, when an unknown tribe dared
to set foot on the hunting grounds of the
clan of La Roque, it was he alone who was
sent out to challenge and berate the foreign
hunters who decided to slip away again
without causing any further trouble.
But all of that was yesterday. For a few –
seemingly never-ending – weeks, Tay-Hay
has been suffering from a stabbing pain in
his left shoulder. After an intense effort,
the pain gets worse, and it feels as if one
of his hunting companions were sticking a
spear straight through his heart. He emerges
from each of these episodes of suffering
completely out of breath and shaken. Tay-
Hay is very troubled, and is doing his best
to hide the pain he is in from the rest of
the clan. He is as scared to die as he is of
disappointing his companions. He doesn’t
want to lose the admiring way that men and
especially women look up to him, and the
way they see him as a natural leader. The
harsh survival laws of the clan are formal: if
he doesn’t soon regain his regular efficiency
at hunting, another will step up to take
his place and he won’t have his say in the
matter. If he refuses, the general disapproval
of the clan will see him pushed out to the
Outer-Roque. And there are plenty of clan
members that he sent there himself for
refusing to obey his all-powerful authority.
Yet there is not much he can do, despite
his gritted teeth and proud looks, the
pain he endures is affecting his mood. He
was already quite unpleasant and often
condescending towards the weaker clan
members, but Tay-Hay has now become
particularly unreasonable and even detestable
to be around. That’s not really what an
overpopulated shelter expects from its chief.
• Facing the Beast: He has come too soon. Or
too late. Well, one way or another, the timing is
not right. Tay-Hay doesn’t feel strong enough to go
and fight Him. And he can’t tell the clan the truth.
So, unlike his usual resolute self, he is pondering,
hesitating, asking for advice. In other words, he’s
trying to put it off until his health gets better.
Dolo
This young hunter is roughly the same age
as the PCs, already a part of the Uppers, and
has always been very precocious. Well fed by
his parents, who are also from the Uppers,
he showed extraordinary physical abilities
very early on. In his thirteenth year, he killed
a doe. The next year, he lost his left eye in
a skirmish against a nomadic clan. From
then on, his destiny among the Uppers was
written. His ambition is now to become the
chief hunt leader of La Roque, but he is
wise enough to know that the time is not yet
come, and that he needs to remain discreet
and avoid upsetting Tay-Hay. He has also,
and more importantly, understood that until
he receives the silent approval of Modou-
Kah, he won’t be able to make any progress.
So, he waits. He watches.
His relationship with the PCs has not always
been good. Jealousy, condescension and
misunderstandings kept them apart for a
long time. But Dolo has grown up, and he
knows that sooner or later, when facing
the elder clan members who will blindly
follow Tay-Hay, he will need the support
of younger members who are hungry for
change. In fact, in a way, you could say that
it was he who suggested to Tay-Hay and the
other influential Uppers that they should
evaluate the PCs’ abilities by giving them a
chance to prove themselves soon.
• Facing the Beast: Dolo has been waiting for a
sign from the ancestors for years now. Here it is. The
presence of the Great Red Stag will bring down the
masks. He has already whispered to the Elders that,
if it were only up to him, the Red Crown would
already be resting on the altar of the ancestors of
La Roque.
11
 Modou-Kah
The shaman of La Roque is a man of a
respectable age, probably not far from his
fortieth year. His ever stern, wrinkled face
and balding head intimidate the usually
cheerful inhabitants of the terraces. He is tall
but is now looking rather skinny. Folds of
skin show that, long ago, the shaman must
have had a rather larger figure.
Indeed, before becoming an Elder and a
master of mysteries, Modou-Kah was an
athletic young hunter, accepted among the
Uppers. As his uncle simultaneously initiated
him to the secrets of the Spirits, he was able
to use his instinctive knowledge of nature
and animals to his advantage. He became
a renowned hunt leader. Intrigued by the
mysteries that he was barely beginning to
discover, Modou-Kah wished to continue
to learn. As he made progress on the totem
path, he had a number of penetrating trance
experiences, during which his mind became
one with that of an unknown animal.
During these trances, the young hunter felt
an incredible sensation of spiritual, physical
and even sexual power. It was an intoxicating
experience. And yet, uncommonly, these
trances were so fleeting that he never had
the time to clearly identify the animal he had
connected with. Worse still, the trances soon
stopped coming.
Both fascinated and frustrated, Modou-Kah
plunged into his shamanic research, spending
most of his time carrying out rituals,
meditating and unsuccessfully trying to enter
into a trance. Little by little, he turned away
from hunting and other vigorous and daring
young hunters like Tay-Hay took his place.
Now that he has become the Voice of the
Ancestors of La Roque, Modou-Kah has
become a sort of eminence grise for the hunt
leaders of the Uppers. It is true that his
12 The Red Crown
advice is often of great value. As a former
hunter and current shaman, the Elder has a
good overview of what it takes for the clan
to survive.
Yet Modou-Kah draws no false glory from
his status as an influential man of the Upper
terraces. He has no interest at all in using
that influence to gain a form of covert
power. He has never used his own authority
to declare a person taboo, and therefore
force them, through the public rejection
it would cause, to leave and find refuge
in the Outer-Roque. On the other hand,
he is cunning and knows full well that the
mere fact that he has that power can be a
formidable deterrent. So if anyone did truly
get in his way, he would not hesitate to use it.
• Facing the Beast: it’s Him, Modou-Kah is
certain of it. The Great Red Stag is his personal
totem animal, the one that granted him those trances
of such a rare intensity. He is determined to use
His appearance in the area to at last renew the
unforgettable feeling of those dizzying trance states.
He can already feel it coming. Of course, there is
no way he will let anyone hunt the Beast. Not the
characters, not even Tay-Hay.

Djeel
Djeel is an entity made up of two perfectly
identical boys. The twins come from one of
the very rare cases where both babies were
able to survive the ordeal of their delivery
and the harsh conditions of their first winter.
The people of La Roque had never, in living
memory, seen anything like it, and therefore
they had many questions that remained
without answers. How was it possible that
two boys could have the same face, the same
build, the same behavior? Their disturbing
singularity could have seen them excluded
from La Roque, but they always managed
to blend in to the clan and even become
quite helpful. After the death of their
mother, severely weakened by the trials of
her pregnancy, the boys were taken in by the
community of the Lower terraces. The twins
are now roughly fifteen years old, and crafty
as monkeys. They always find ways to make
themselves useful in the community: they
are tireless watchers, elite fishermen, ever-
willing messengers… Simply put, you can
always see one of the Djeels crouching on
the banks of the Greenwater, concentrated
on some task or another.
One of the Djeels, or more precisely The
Djeel. Indeed, after long consideration,
Modou-Kah pedantically explained to the
people of the clan that the two boys were
in fact a single being that had been lucky,
or unlucky, enough to be born with two
identical bodies that shared a single spirit:
the spirit of Djeel. Since then, the people
of La Roque, who are used to following the
teachings of their shaman, call the twins the
Djeel, and behave as if they were a single
boy.
As for the boys, they intuitively realized that
their rare situation was upsetting for some,
and that they were at risk of being exiled to
the Outer-Roque. So they adapted. In fact
so much so that they probably ended up
convincing themselves that Modou-Kah’s
tale was the truth. Therefore, they do their
best to avoid appearing together in public
and in a way, they have become the perfect
team: when one of them is asleep, the other
is awake; when one of them is travelling, the
other is on watch, and so on.
• Facing the Beast: although they were born
perfectly normal, the Djeel have gradually become
magical beings through the fearful attitude that others
have towards them. They are therefore inexplicably
attracted to the Beast. More importantly, although
they don’t yet know it, they have the privilege of
being able to approach the Great Red Stag without
Him noticing, or at least without Him being
disturbed by them in any way.
The Outer-Roque
The Outer-Roque is a rather humble shelter,
located in a deep cave that has a very wide
opening. It is right at the base of the cliff,
and was probably created by gelifraction, the
erosion of a rock structure caused by the
alternating freezing and thawing of water in
the cracks. The people of the Outer-Roque,
no more than twenty people of all ages and
both genders, huddle together at the back of
the cave to try to find some shelter from the
elements and from possible predators.
La Roque is very close by (about 500 steps).
Therefore there is no lack of drinking water
and help. The people of La Roque, especially
those of the Middle terraces, customarily
bring their excess food and materials to the
people of the Outer-Roque. When they do
so, it is acceptable to make contact for a
The Red Crown 13

short time. However, prolonged contact –
or even worse, friendship – is completely
forbidden to ensure that everyone knows
their place.
One of the few advantages of living at the
Outer-Roque is the freedom to come and go
at will: the cave has several exits and opens
straight onto the woods. Furthermore, there
is nobody to watch or pass judgment on your
comings and goings.
Around the Outer-Roque there are several
other caves and cracks that are more or less
taboo to the people of the terraces. Well,
let’s say that they know very little about them
and are afraid of them. The legends say that
the spirits of their enemies’ ancestors live
there. Indeed, some of these caves were
once inhabited by other groups of humans
(see Chakmah, below).
14
Nahaa
Nahaa is a beautiful young woman with
a proud face. She has not yet celebrated
her twentieth year, and so is the youngest
member of the Outer-Roque community.
To them, she is unanimously seen as
Hotoun’s woman. But despite that
reputation, she has still not accepted any
of his repeated and explicit advances. She
merely shares some all-too-rare moments of
simple human warmth and friendship with
him, when the cold is fierce for the people
of the windy Outer-Roque shelter. In fact,
Nahaa has a real problem with intercourse.
Although she is very sensual and her heart
is open to the possibility of love, she is
struggling to go through with the act itself,
as she is still traumatized by the Tay-Hay’s
brutal advances in the past. At the time she
was barely into puberty, and only her quick
wits managed to keep her from being yet
another of the hunt leader’s lays. Humiliated
by the young girl’s refusal, Tay-Hay had
easily convinced Modou-Kah the shaman
to declare her taboo. Like so many before
her, Nahaa was then thrown out of La
Roque and condemned to eternal exile and
questionable survival at the Outer-Roque.
That said, thanks to her very resilient nature,
Nahaa is doing pretty well, both physically
and mentally. She is taking care of her health
and has quickly become irreplaceable within
the community of exiles. She knows the
surrounding countryside better than any
other woman in the area, and sometimes
even better than the hunters of the Uppers
of La Roque. Every day she goes off,
stealthily and alone, through the brambles
and the ferns. She brings back berries and
roots that help improve the meager daily
rations of the Outer-Roque folk. More
importantly, during her excursions, Nahaa
allows herself one of the very few pleasures
of her life or toil and suffering. She stops
whenever she gets a chance to watch the
hunters of La Roque in action without being
seen by them. Then, deep down, she dreams
that one of those proud hunters will come
and take her far away from the Outer-Roque,
or even that he could convince Tay-Hay and
the others from the Uppers to accept her in
La Roque once again, and they could settle
down in safety and start a family.
• Facing the Beast: she is very curious about
what she sees as an obvious manifestation of the
Spirits. She is soon convinced that the Great Red
Stag is the sign of a coming change for La Roque
and the surrounding area. The end of Tay-Hay’s
reign? A change in the rules of occupation of the
shelters? She doesn’t know, but she hopes it will be a
major upheaval.
Hotoun
Hotoun is no more a bad hunter than he is a
coward. Yet it is that double reputation that
the people of La Roque gave to this man
whom they now barely remember.
Hotoun is short, wide-shouldered, firmly
standing on his gnarled legs, and he has
an excellent sight, which makes him a
very efficient hunter. Because of all these
qualities, he had been integrated without
question into the hunting groups run by
the Uppers, and was undoubtedly looking
at a life on the upper terrace with his future
family.
But one day this young man was foolish
enough to question the authority of a hunt
leader at the height of his popularity: Tay-
Hay. The hunt leader had ordered that
the group end their pursuit of an already
wounded animal that was about to leave the
usual hunting grounds of La Roque. Hotoun
had suggested that he could continue
to pursue the animal,
whatever it took, alone if
he must. The discussion
between the two hunters
became heated, and
they had even started
to fight when their
companions separated
them. Things were very
clear to Tay-Hay from then on:
Hotoun was a troublemaker, and
therefore a fly in the ointment of the
segregated and structured world of the
terraces. Due to his status as the infallible
leader, crucial to the survival of the whole
community, Tay-Hay easily obtained a
general consensus and Hotoun’s dreams of
grandeur ware crushed. Exile at the Outer-
Roque was the only option he had left.
When he arrived there, he acted as chief
for a while. He reorganized the occupation
of the shelter, and tried to set up his own
hunting expeditions. But after a short while,
the poor condition of the people living there
and their lack of motivation outweighed his
ambitions. In turn, he too ended up waiting
lazily for the people of La Roque to bring
them their leftovers of fishes or fruit, or
for a younger member of the Outer-Roque
community like Nahaa to bring back some
food. In fact, he really likes young Nahaa.
She is one of the last things keeping him
going.
• Facing the Beast: He feels perfectly capable of
looking the creature right in the eyes then, without
shaking, sinking his best spear into His heart.
Then, with his knife, he would cut off the red crown,
place it on his own head and return to La Roque,
triumphant and acclaimed by all. Alas, he has no
one at the Outer-Roque to support him in his fateful
expedition. In fact, truth be told, he doesn’t really
believe he has the energy to pull it off.
15
 Chakmah
It is truly a mystery that someone like
Chakmah is still alive. The old man is
emaciated, almost completely toothless and,
it has to be said, half crazy. He should have
been carried off to the land of the ancestors
long ago by the laws of natural selection. Yet
he hangs on, sometimes even bringing some
mirth to the sad atmosphere of the Outer-
Roque with his legendary giggling fits.
A long time ago, Chakmah lived on the
Middle terraces of La Roque. He was partly
a shaman, partly a bone worker. One way
or another, he made himself useful. Then,
one fine day, he went running helter-skelter
down the steps dug into the chalk, dived
head first into the Greenwater, climbed out
of it downstream, dripping wet, and walked
away into the sunset without looking back.
Nobody ever knew what came over him that
day, nor where he went. A year later, changed
but recognizable, Chakmah returned, but
he was incapable of explaining his behavior.
He thought that he would just return to his
position in the Middles, but public opinion
would not allow it: he had become too
unsettling for them all and he was no longer
welcome anywhere but the Outer-Roque.
Since then, he has survived there, making
do with little, spending his days roaming
the surrounding land, especially the various
nooks and crannies in the rocks that he now
knows better than anyone. This is how he
happened to find a stunning decorated cave
that the men of his time had long forgotten
(the paintings probably date back to the
Aurignacian). He only shares its secret with
the people of the Outer-Roque and, very
rarely, with visitors who manage to gain his
trust.
16 The Red Crown
• Facing the Beast: he knows the paintings of
the decorated cave, and he knows the majestic figure
of the Great Stag, painted in ocher on its walls.
This has to be related to the Beast. Although he has
completely lost the memory of his adventure of long
ago, he likes to think that maybe the Great Stag is a
creature that he met at the time and that He is here
to look for him. Well, this is all rather muddled in
his poor tortured mind, but he honestly thinks that
he has a major part to play in the current situation.
First Steps
The PCs are all playing younger members
of the clan, confined for the moment to the
Middle terraces. They have lived sheltered
lives there since their childhood, protected
from flooding, bad weather and attacks. Now
they have reached the age of evaluation.
They could very well spend the rest of their
lives in the Middles (for example if they are
a fertile female or a skilled craftsman), follow
the call of destiny up to the Uppers, or be
sent down to the Lowers. At the moment,
everything is still left to play for. Depending
on what initiatives they take, the attitude they
will have, the actions they prove capable of,
the clan’s informal council will decide their
fate.
The first moments of the scenario are
particularly open. The GM must give them
a good view of the situation and what’s
at stake: the PCs are then invited to show
their initiative or at least react quickly to the
events. This is an opportunity to bring the
terraces of La Roque – and even the Outer-
Roque, depending on the PCs’ actions – to
life. Ideally the PCs should meet all the
important NPCs (those detailed here, and
any that the GM should choose to add) at
least once before the Beast appears.
The GM can use the rules of Prestige,
especially for this part of the scenario.
 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Characters
Stamina and Secret Skills
Strengths Weaknesses
Experience And Techniques
Speed of the Horse, Flight of the Crow, Quick-
Tay-Hay 36, 16 Impaling, Melee
Strength of the Bear, Fury of the Lion, Fins of the Salmon. Tempered
Speed of the Horse, Might of the Bison, Flight of the One Eyed,
Dolo 30, 4 Melee
Crow, Quickness of the Lynx, Fins of the Salmon. Presumptuous
Hand of the Ancestors, Wisdom of the Mammoth, Trance, Shaman's Tongue,
Modou-Kah - 30, 18
Majesty of the Aurochs, Fins of the Salmon. Contact with the Spirits
Hand of the Ancestors, Cunning of the Weasel,
Djeel Shy 24, 2 -
Nose of the Wolf, Sight of the Owl, Fins of the Salmon.
Speed of the Horse, Grace of the Swan
Nahaa - 24, 4 -
Nose of the Wolf
Speed of the Horse, Sight of the Owl,
Hotoun - 30, 12 Impaling
Strength of the Bear
Hand of the Ancestors, Secret of the Bear, Trance, Shaman's Tongue,
Chakmah Weak 24 12
Eye of the Panther, Inspiration of the Rocks Bone Craft, Painting

Consider, for example, that earning around
ten Prestige Points at this time would be
a good way to draw the attention of the
hunters of the Uppers.
To play this first part of the scenario, the
GM can use the suggested introduction
scene below. It is then up to the GM to
add to this, by using elements from the list
of “Twists” developed later in this booklet.
Most of them are indeed playable before (or
regardless of) the arrival of the triggering
event of the scenario, the appearance of the
Great Red Stag.
The Trials
The big day has arrived. Early in the
morning, the PCs were gathered together by
Akhon, one of their elders, a talented hunter
and someone they admire. Today, as they
approach the age when you are finally seen
as an adult, they will go through the first of
the trials that will decide their destiny. Today,
they are going hunting with Tay-Hay, the
hunt leader of the Uppers.
Their introduction to him is brief. The old
leader already seems to be on the lookout
and is paying very little attention to the
young men who will hunt beside him. The
team is a small one; only Akhon and Tay-
Hay are joining the PCs.
They leave the Uppers and the hunters
follow Tay-Hay’s rapid pace through the
undergrowth, thick with sharp thorns. They
are out of breath and their limbs are already
bloody and painful when they step out into a
wide clearing where a small herd of juvenile
aurochs is peacefully grazing.
They all grip their weapons, and look to
Tay-Hay, awaiting his orders. But what a
surprise! The great hunter is wincing in pain
and seems barely able to stand. He looks like
he is about to faint. Akhon is obviously not
prepared for this situation, and he seems lost
as he orders a retreat to the undergrowth
just as the aurochs are clearly considering the
option of charging the humans.
It is now up to the PCs to play their part.
If they run away, they are missing out on a
unique opportunity to stand out. They can
try to hunt one of the aurochs, or they may
consider that it is more important to get
Tay-Hay back to the shelter for healing and
comfort. One way or another, they will still
need to find their way back to La Roque and
find a way to transport the hunt leader there
safe and sound.
Their trials don’t end there. Tay-Hay will
survive this time, and he intends to save
his reputation. He will therefore try to
intimidate, negotiate or blackmail the PCs
into keeping quiet about what they saw and
did that morning. It’s up to them to choose
how to react.

The Red Crown 17

The Great Red Stag tall to its withers. His chest was the most
Dodge 8 powerful that any hunter in living memory
Thick skin 4 had ever seen exposed to his spear. The
LP 60 structure of His antlers was complex and
Initiative 2d6+3 they reached impressive heights, giving Him
Attack(s): [1] a final majestic touch. His coat was a deep
Giant Antlers 2d6+3 amber color, almost red. Strangely enough,
(5d6 Damage Points) ; his antlers had taken on a far brighter shade,
Trampling* 2d6+3 almost as if they had been dipped in fresh
(5d6 Damage Points) blood. The Beast stared at them. He took
Running 12 a few steps. Then He let out a surreal roar.
Steady Nerves 9 Cautiously, the hunters decided to retreat and
Alertness 12
The Great Red Stag go back to seek the counsel of the Elders of
The appearance will occur once the La Roque.
Special Abilities:
GM thinks that the players have gotten
Trampling*: a character
to grips with the environment, both The animal has remained there ever since.
hit by His antlers must
geographic and social, in which their So far nobody has dared to make a decision,
roll a Strength Test
characters are living. Here are some of after all, He’s not doing any harm. He just
(DT 9) to avoid being
the clues that can show that the time wanders to and fro in the area, roaring here
knocked over and risk
has come to truly launch the story: and there. The more cautious hunters say
being trampled as a
the players are beginning to talk about that, given His size, the animal must be old,
result.
the NPCs among themselves and and his flesh as tough as leather. There is no
Legendary Animal: any
calling them by their names, or they point in hunting Him. The more cowardly
character faced with
are working out plans to take their own ones are very glad to hear it, and waggle their
such an opponent will
initiatives to make a difference in the heads in agreement. The possibility that the
have to carry out a
fate of their alter-egos. animal known to all as the Great Red Stag,
Steady Nerves Test (DT
9) or they will panic, as or simply the Beast, may be a manifestation
He appeared on a misty early morning. of the Spirits is also on everybody’s mind.
with the effects of
The first shadows were barely even There too, it would be wise to be cautious.
a Combat Cry.
visible through the layers of fog One way or another, all the thoughts,
that covered the Greenwater valley. conversations and actions in La Roque
Through it, however, a powerful bellow and the Outer-Roque, are now centered
and an extraordinary silhouette were on a single topic: the Beast. Ambitions are
enough to alert the hunters of the awakening, fears are seeping through, and
upper terraces. Something unusual was buried hopes are resurfacing. Tensions are
going on. beginning to appear between the members
As soon as the first pale rays began of the clan.
to light up the valley, the hunters saw What part will the PCs decide to play in the
him. The stag was at least 30 hands coming events?

18 The Red Crown

As you already know, The Red Crown is an open
scenario. Other than the fantastical apparition of the
Great Red Stag, none of the further events is written
in stone. Everything that happens around La Roque
depends on the actions of the PCs and, of course, on
those of the main NPCs as laid out by the GM.
To make the GM’s work easier and ensure that
the game does not lose momentum due to a lack of
inspiration or initiatives, here are a few twists and
adventures that PCs may come across. The GM
should only select the ones that suit the PCs and the
way the players want to play.
• An Unusual Earbashing
For some futile reason, or even no reason
at all, Tay-Hay is in a terrible mood and he
is taking it out on the PCs by shouting and
threatening them. The PCs know that if
they stand up to the hunt leader, they can
kiss their integration to the upper terraces
goodbye. If the conflict really gets nasty,
they could even end up exiled at the Outer-
Roque. Their fate is really in the balance in
this argument. If they stand up to Tay-Hay
all the same, they will win the sympathy of
several inhabitants (if there are witnesses
of the scene) who think the hunt leader is
becoming more and more unbearable. If the
attack really gets out of hand, then the PCs
will cause a sudden pain that strikes Tay-Hay
right in the heart.
• Dolo the Plotter
Although they have not had much contact
with him since he was accepted into the
Uppers, the PCs are surprised to see Dolo
coming towards them. He is very friendly
towards them, bringing them each a prime
piece of meat or some other valuable gift.
If they have been seen in a positive light
recently, he suggests that it’s partly thanks
to him. If he manages to win their trust,
Dolo will become less guarded and directly
ask the PCs what they think of Tay-Hay and
Modou-Kah (possibly even what they think
about the Beast).
Twists
• A Lovely Spy
The PCs are on a routine
mission for the clan’s
survival; for example a
hunting expedition for medium-
sized game. While they are lying in
wait and keeping perfectly quiet, they
are alerted by a cracking sound nearby.
Is the Beast about to charge them? An
enemy warrior maybe? None of the above!
It is a beautiful young woman who was
obviously watching them and ended up
being a little careless. Of course, it is Nahaa,
but it is quite probable that they don’t know
who she is, unless they have visited the
Outer-Roque before. The young woman is
quick, but if they run after her long enough,
they can catch up with her. She won’t have
any meaningful explanation for her attitude.
However, as they question her closely, it
will be difficult not to notice her warm and
supple body and the beauty of her eyes,
despite the fear in them.
• Djeel the One and Only
One of the twins dies in an accident. Of
course, the remaining twin is traumatized
and will need support. More importantly, the
debate spreads through the terraces: what
should they do with a single Djeel? Has he
returned to a normal state or is this a new
monstrosity that really should be exiled to
the Outer-Roque for everyone’s sake. Like
all the other members of the clan, the PCs
can take part in the debate. They could well
decide to give their unfailing support to the
poor shaken boy and in doing so earn his
undying loyalty.
The Red Crown 19
 • A Very Special Guide
Whether it’s through love, friendship or
even blackmail, it can be a very good idea
to secure the help of young Nahaa. She can
show them places that not even the most
experienced hunters from the Uppers know
about. The GM would then ensure that she
leads the PCs to a place they need to know,
like a watering hole where the animals they
are looking for come to drink, or a clearing
where they can find the herbs that they need.
Most importantly, she can show them the
way to the decorated cave.
• An Unfortunate Hunt
Whether the Beast has revealed Himself
or not, the PCs will get a chance on one of
their hunts to track a beautiful doe with a
coat of almost pure white. The animal is
quick, but skillful hunters will manage to
catch it. As they are making their way back
with their kill, the PCs realize that everything
they have done will be interpreted in light of
the appearance of the Beast. There is no way
that this snow-white doe, such an unusual
creature, is not connected to the Great Red
Stag. Will the fact that they have killed her
make the Beast angry with them?
• The Chilling Roar
It is a dark and stormy night. With dark
clouds gathering and lightning tearing up the
sky above, the Great Red Stag seems to have
decided to haunt the area around the cliffs,
roaring with such mythical volume that the
sound of it bounces off the stone of the
cliff faces. There is no way anyone on the
terraces can get any sleep. The children are
screaming. The women are crying. All the
men are tense and ready to fight each other
for no reason at all.
20 The Red Crown
• The Mirror Ledge
There is a spot on the lower terraces that
is especially popular with the people of La
Roque. The “mirror ledge” is an outcrop
that sticks out over the river. Below it, the
water is always calm and clear and, if you
lie down on that ledge, you can see your
face reflected in the Greenwater. It just so
happens that a young member of the clan is
drowning in the exact spot below that ledge.
The PCs are present and they can save him.
As they pull him out of the water, half dead,
the PCs notice the open wound on his head
that is soaking his face with blood, turning
him bright red. The rumor of a curse of the
Beast begins to spread through the terraces.
• Djeel the Invisible
One of the Djeel (or the only Djeel if one
of them is dead) is uncontrollably drawn
towards the Beast, and whether he wants
to or not, he is following a scouting (or
hunting) mission with the PCs. The boy
behaves carelessly and the branch he is
sitting on snaps, dropping him heavily on the
ground right next to the Beast. To everyone’s
surprise, the animal doesn’t charge him, or
even move its head, continuing to graze
without a care in the world.
• The Legendary Herd
All the hunters of La Roque have witnessed
the phenomenon. The deer of the whole
area seem to be drawn to the calls of
the Beast. Little by little a huge herd has
gathered around him. Once again, there are
different interpretations. For some, it is a
sign that the Spirit is a kind one, offering
them the best hunt they have ever seen. For
others, it is a sign that the Beast is about
to leave, and that he will take all the game
animals with him. As far as the latter are
concerned, La Roque is doomed.
• The Painted Cave
The PCs can hear about the painted cave
from Nahaa or Chakmah and decide that
they want to explore it. There, they will
be stunned to discover all the paintings
of animals on the cave walls, but they will
stop dead in front of the greatest, most
beautiful and most visible of the paintings.
On his own in the middle of a large wall, a
great stag is painted in a red shade of ocher.
The similarity with the Beast is even more
obvious when they compare the details of
the antlers: they are exactly the same as the
complex structure of the Great Red Stag’s.
How can this be?
• A different kind of
Manna
If the PCs have the idea of
showing their respect to the
Great Red Stag (through
offerings, for example), they will
be certain it is a Spirit. It is even
possible that they may call upon
its Manna. But is there room for
two Guardian Spirits? Should the
Spirit of the Greenwater still be
revered? Should the whole clan
organization be changed and start
anew around the new totem?

• Secret Skill
Modou-kah wants to “Contact the Spirits”
to find out the truth about the nature and
intentions of the Beast. So far, he hasn’t
been able to. If he were to carry out the
ritual opposite the figure in the painted cave,
it would significantly increase his chances of
success. But he doesn’t know that the cave
exists. Even if he is told about it, he will
be unwilling to be seen among the exiled
members of the Outer-Roque.

Epilogue
It impossible to plan the end of this scenario. It has not been written. It all depends on the decisions
made by the players, and of course the fun or interesting narrative paths that the GM has chosen to
explore, and the way he brought the NPCs to life. It would, however, be a real shame if this scenario
did not have a real end. Ending the adventure in an uncertain way might seem appropriate for
prehistoric times, but it would mainly be frustrating for the players.
For the GM, the best thing to do would therefore be to keep an ear open for the players’ ambitions
throughout the game. By sending them on one path or another, he is giving them opportunities. It is
then up to him to see which players grab hold of them. This should allow him to create an end to the
story that will satisfy them. Will they dream of seeing the characters defeat the Great Red Stag? Will
they prefer to become important members of the community by taking part in Tay-Hay’s fall? Will
they want to go towards the Beast and show Him their respect? Any of these endings, and probably
an infinite number of other ones, are perfectly acceptable for The Red Crown.
Julien Clément

The Red Crown 21

 The Ocher Hill
This very short scenario, designed to be a first adventure for adult or child characters, has been played at a
number of different gatherings and events. It can be played out in just two hours. However, the Game Master
(GM) can easily build on it and flesh it out to adapt it to his objectives and the type of players and characters
that he is preparing this adventure for. It can even be added as a side quest for a longer campaign.
This scenario is designed for a group of characters that is made up partially or exclusively of Long men.
It can easily be adapted for child characters with just a few changes as described in the section on
characters.

A Quick Summary The Attack of the Beast

The players’ characters are accompanying the
shaman of their clan to look for red ocher,
a precious raw material that is important for
the tribe. But just as they arrive at the sacred
site where the ocher is to be gathered, an
evil rhinoceros (or a wolf) attacks the old
shaman and vanishes into the mist. The PCs
will therefore have to enter the sacred site to
take care of the wounded woman and gather
the ocher according to her instructions while
warding off the spirits of the dead who
would take her soul. Then they will have to
face the terrifying animal roaming around
the edge of the site before they can return
home, whether they have saved the shaman
or not.
The Characters
The PCs are young adults or children from
their tribe. They can belong to the same
clan or to different ones as they wish. One
of them could even be a Bear-man or Bear-
woman, why not? Whether or not they are
hunters does not matter for the mission they
were given, or for which they volunteered.
If required, to adapt this scenario to
a group of child characters, you can
replace the rhinoceros with a large gray
wolf. In this case, you will find the necessary
changes detailed at the end of the scenario.
An adventure
for Long Men,
adults or children.
A super easy
scenario to run.
The PCs are travelling to the Ocher Hill.
The shaman of their tribe, an old woman
named Lake Eye, is running low on red
ocher, too low in her opinion to meet the
clan’s needs, so she has put together an
expedition to go and get some more. When
the story begins, the shaman is guiding
the PCs to a magical place: the Ocher Hill,
similar to the ocher hills in Roussillon in
the Provence region of France. The journey
takes them two and a half days and goes
smoothly.
Towards the end of the afternoon, as a thick
mist rolls over the landscape, announcing the
oncoming sunset, the PCs arrive in sight of
a small orange-tinted mountain range, rising
up above the bushes of the steppe. Lake Eye
points out an opening, a few hundred meters
ahead of the group, through which they will
enter the site.
Suddenly, a wooly rhinoceros appears out
of nowhere and charges the group at an
incredible speed! Nobody heard it coming,
nor did they feel the tremor of its pounding
hooves on the soft ground of the steppe.
Ask the PCs to carry out a Surprise Test
DT 7 (bonus for Sight of the Owl). If they
succeed, they will manage, if they wish, to
hit the monster as it passes by them. If not,
then they can only try to hit it at a distance
once it has charged.
The wooly rhinoceros charges the shaman,
and her alone. It rams her with its horn, and
then it tramples her. The first attack causes
12 Damage Points to the old woman’s chest,

22 The Ocher Hill

causing a shock to her lungs and internal
bleeding. The trampling that follows during
the same attack causes 14 Damage Points to
the shaman’s right arm, and her bones are
broken on impact.
Once the rhino has gored and trampled the
shaman, it runs away and disappears out of
sight. Any of the PCs who were not taken
by surprise can still manage to land one
hit while in hand-to-hand range. They also
have time for two ranged attacks before
the creature disappears into the mist. The
rhinoceros will probably be injured by the
characters, but they must not be allowed to
kill it. The mysterious animal will be back
later to seek its revenge… If the PCs, quite
rightly, want to run off after their attacker,
then make it understood that catching up
with the wooly rhinoceros is practically
impossible, and that facing it in hand-to-
hand combat would be very risky. Above all,
make sure that they understand that Lake
Eye’s state requires her to be taken to safety.
In fact, if the PCs come to her aid, the
shaman will ask them to take her inside the
magic mountain and gather the ocher, before
she falls unconscious.
The Dying Shaman
The sacred site is a strange enclosed
mountain formation, surrounded by steep
hills covered in scots pines and all kinds of
plants. Inside lies a maze of valleys and cliffs
through which runs a small, trickling stream.
The entrance to the sacred site of the Ocher
Hill is through a narrow gully – about six
steps wide and a hundred steps long –
between two high, yellow hills.
The shaman is unconscious. The characters
can give her first aid care (see Würm,
page 63). The old woman’s condition is
serious. Her wounds are very bad. To heal
her, the PCs have three possibilities:
- Apply ocher to her wounds. Red ocher
eases the pain and helps wounds to heal.
- There are said to be medicinal herbs
growing on this magic mountain. They can
search for them with a Gathering Test (DT
5, bonus for Venom of the Viper). If they do
this, then the shaman will gain 2d6 Stamina
Points the next morning.
- Counting on the fact that the shaman will
wake up the next morning, the characters
can prepare a warm and moist meal for
the next day, a stew, for example, rather than
the dried, chewy meat strips that they have
brought as rations on their journey. They will
need to hunt or set some snares during the
hours of dusk. The hunt will allow them to
catch some small game (see Würm, page 43).
The snares have a 2 in 6 chance of
catching something during the night
(see Würm, page 45).
The Ocher Hill 23
 As the PCs set up a small camp and possibly
share out the tasks to be carried out, Lake
Eye briefly regains consciousness, with a
sparkle in her eye. With a grip of steel, she
seizes someone’s wrist. She knows that she
may be dying. So she strongly urges the PCs
to carry out the rituals to take the ocher in
her place! They must take her flute, play the
magic tune that she played for them a few
times during the journey, and wait to see
if the guardian eagle passes overhead. If
the eagle passes, then they can fill the three
pouches with ocher. Then, they will need to
spend one night – and only one – inside the
Ocher Hill to honor the Spirits, and leave the
next day to avoid angering them.
Note: the PCs can remember Lake Eye
saying at some point during their journey
that it was absolutely forbidden to spend
more than one night in the Ocher Hill. It is
said that those who disobey the law can be
cursed – or worse.
The PCs easily find Lake Eye’s flute, made
out of a swan bone. They all more or less
remember the tune that the shaman played
for them over the last two days. It is in fact
pretty simple, and even if the characters
are not accomplished flute players, the Test
to play the tune is easy (DT 5, bonus for
the Song of the Blackbird – for talent and
skill, or for Wisdom of the Mammoth – for
having perfectly remembered the tune).
If the Test is a success, the melody sounds
perfect, and the sweet sounds of the flute
rise up into the twilight air. Ten minutes
later, the PCs see an eagle fly past. It is a
good sign, and they go to collect the ocher.
A very easy Craft Test is required (DT 3)
to collect the best quality ocher, especially
the red, which is very sought after. Three
skin pouches were brought along for the
transport.
24 The Ocher Hill
If the Test fails, a series of wrong notes
rings out in the sacred site, jarring the ears
of anyone within hearing range. If nobody
manages to play the tune correctly, or if
they don’t see the eagle fly by, they will need
to decide whether to take the ocher all the
same, or not. What could possibly go wrong?
Night of the Great Black Stag
When night falls, the PCs may decide to take
turns standing watch. If so, then whoever
is on watch around 4 in the morning (2
hours before the dawn) sees a gigantic
Megaloceros appear suddenly at the top of
the Ocher Hill. He is convinced that it is the
Great Black Stag (see inset), come to collect
the spirit of the shaman to carry it away
on his giant antlers. The PCs have time to
wake up and decide what to do. To stop the
creature taking Lake Eye’s soul, they have
two options: either they can try to chase the
Megaloceros away by attacking it, or they can
try to negotiate with him, beg for him to be
merciful and leave the shaman in peace.
The huge animal’s dark silhouette stands out
strikingly against the white disc of the full
moon. To approach him, a Steady Nerves
Test (DT 7) is required.
- To impress him enough to scare him away,
a difficult (DT 9) Shooting or Hunting Cry
Test will be necessary.
- To convince him, they must successfully
carry out a difficult Talks Test (DT 9).
One way or the other, if the PCs manage
to approach the giant stag, it will run away,
either straight away or after a few minutes.
The buck has the characteristics of a
normal megaloceros. In fact, maybe that’s
exactly what it is, but not as far as the PCs
are concerned. Make sure that everyone is
convinced – at least for the first while – that
this is indeed the Great Black Stag.
 The Great Black Stag is a sort of
prehistoric version of the Ankou
or Anubis. This terrifying animal is
the psychopomp Spirit that carries
the souls of the dead on his giant
antlers, to take them to the other
world, at winter's end. As far as the
characters are concerned, he is not
a god to be worshipped. Although
he inspires fear and respect, it
is quite possible to send him on
his way, by scaring him off like a
normal animal, or by negotiating
with him.
If the PCs do not attempt to chase the buck
away, or on the contrary welcome him and entrust
the shaman’s soul to him, the great animal will
wander near the camp for a while, roar, then
majestically walk away, showing no fear of
the humans. Not long after, as the first rays
of sunlight are about to appear, the shaman
breathes her last breath. She is dead. The
PCs will have to manage on their own for
the rest of the adventure. The first thing to
do is to decide if Lake Eye should be buried
inside the sacred site or if her body should
be taken back to the camp (on a travois for
example).
Preparing for combat
If the PCs chased the giant stag away, the
shaman comes to in the morning. She
regains Stamina Points depending on what
the PCs have accomplished: 1d6 or 2d6 if
they made or applied some poultices. 1d3
more if she can eat the stew and drink
the broth, 1 point more if they thought to
spread ocher on her wounds.
If the shaman regains consciousness, she
congratulates the PCs and tells them that
in her dreams she saw the Great Black Stag
roaming near her. She also tells them that she
saw the figure of the wooly rhinoceros (or
of the gray wolf), outside the gully that leads
to the site, waiting to avenge the wounds
they inflicted on it. In fact, she wonders if
the attack of this angry rhinoceros isn’t due
in some way to her late rival, Horn-Nose,
the shaman of a once allied and now enemy
tribe. Their shaman wanted to take Lake
Eye for his wife, but she refused. His totem
animal was a wooly rhinoceros…
Now that the old shaman has predicted the
creature’s attack, she will do everything she
can to prepare the characters for combat.
For example, she can try to enter a trance
state and ask the Spirit of the Bison to help
them. But she is still very weak. With her
broken arm, she cannot draw the figure of
the bison to help her contact the great spirit.
It will be up to one of the characters to paint
the bison on the rock face with ground red
ocher. If the character does not yet have the
Painting talent, the test will be difficult (DT
9, bonus for Inspiration of the Rocks). If
the painting is a success, then the shaman
can enter her trance and contact the Spirit.
The Spirit accepts to grant all the PCs the
Might of the Bison until the following dawn.
The Ocher Hill 25
 If the drawing is a failure, the shaman can
enter her trance state but the contact with
the Spirit is blurry and uncertain. She can
therefore only guarantee that one of the PCs
has the Might of the Bison bonus.
Note: if one of the characters already has
the Might of the Bison Strength, there is no
change for him. If someone has Strength of
the Bear, then the effects of both Strengths
can exceptionally be combined.
Then, under the shaman’s supervision, the
PCs can make and apply some body paint
with the ocher to protect themselves from
the rhinoceros’s attack (the Blood of Ao, see
Würm page 72). If the PCs do not have
the Body Painting Secret Skill, an easy Test
(DT 5) must be carried out for each person
whose body needs to be painted, thanks to
Lake Eye’s guidance.
If the PCs took the ocher without having
managed to play the melody with the swan
bone flute, their protection is 1 point.
26 The Ocher Hill
If they managed to play the tune, or if they
waited for the shaman to wake up to do it,
their protection level is 3 points.
To complete their preparation, one of the
PCs can conduct a ceremony to “warm up”
the fighters (DT 9, see Würm page 40) to
give them all a bonus of 1d6 on their first
Test, be it ranged or hand to hand combat.
The Final Clash
If the wooly rhinoceros was wounded the
day before, it will have regained 6 Life Points
since then. The furious beast, which seems
to be forbidden from entering the sacred
site, attacks the group the minute they
leave the gully. The PCs are already alert
and armed, so they will not be surprised
this time. They have one Combat Round to
attack the rhinoceros from a distance before
it arrives in hand to hand range, charging as
it comes (running target, 40 meters distance,
and average range for a javelin).
This time, the wooly rhinoceros will fight
until it falls below 18 Life Points, at which
time it will attempt to flee. It takes 18
Damage Points to inflict a serious wound on
the rhinoceros (21 including its Thick Skin
protection).
If the PCs manage to defeat the wooly
rhinoceros, it would be a great idea to
take a few trophies. If they don’t think
of it themselves, the shaman will highly
recommend it. The rhinoceros is a highly
magical animal. The whole group can then
make its way back to the camp in triumph.
If any of the PCs are severely wounded,
they can take the time to tend to the wounds
before they return to the camp. The shaman
can help them, if necessary by calling on a
miraculous cure, if the GM is in a generous
mood. If the PCs are not back at the camp
seven days after they left, then a group of
people from their tribe will go out looking
for them.
The Wooly Rhinoceros
Dodge 5; Thick Skin 3
LP 54
Initiative 2d6
Attack(s) [1]: Horn 2d6 (3d6 Damage
Points); Trampling* 3d6 (4d6 Damage
Points)
Running 9; Alertness 9;
Steady Nerves N/A;
Special Abilities:
*Trampling: a character hit by the charge of a
wooly rhinoceros must carry out a Strength
Test (DT 12) to avoid being knocked over,
and risk being trampled in the same combat
round.
Prestige and Experience
Everyone gains 1 Experience Point.
For gathering the red ocher, the PCs each
get a share of twenty Generosity Points. For
saving the shaman from death, they get a
share of thirty Generosity Points. Last but
not least, the PCs get a share of twenty-four
Bravery Points for defeating the rhinoceros.
The Big Gray Wolf
If your characters are children, then a single
big gray wolf attacks the shaman. He bites
her throat badly, and then claws at her right
arm, causing 16 Damage Points for the bite
(Critical Wound) and 5 for the arm. The rest
of the scenario is the same, except during
the last combat, where the wolf will run if
it has less than 7 Life Points left. Of course,
the wolf will be easier to defeat than the
rhinoceros for children who get a penalty of
-3 for all Damage rolls (see Child weakness).
Dodge 8; Thick Skin 1
LP 21
Initiative 2d6
Attack(s) [1]: Bite 3d6 (1d6+2 Damage
Points)
Running 9; Alertness 12;
Steady Nerves N/A;
Special Abilities:
Tracking: the wolf is better than anyone else
at following a trail (4d6). It can run for great
distances without tiring.
The Megaloceros
Dodge 6; Thick Skin 1
LP 42
Initiative 2d6
Attack(s) [2]: Giant Antlers 2d6 (3d6
Damage Points); Bucking 2d6 (1d6+2
Damage Points) ; Trampling* 2d6 (3d6
Damage Points)
Running 9; Steady Nerves 9; Alertness 9
Special Abilities:
*Trampling: a character hit by the antlers of a
megaloceros must carry out a Strength Test
(DT 9) to avoid being knocked over, and risk
being trampled in the same combat round.
The Ocher Hill 27
 Lake Eye, the Shaman
She is very short and very old. Her still-beautiful
gray-green eyes twinkle with mischief, and her
face is wrinkled like an old apple. She wears
many necklaces made of animal teeth or
seashells. Her long silver hair has a great number
of bird bones and great eagle feathers plaited
into it. She leans on a gnarly old stick when she
walks, and she also uses it to whack the ankles
or buttocks of rude or careless youngsters.
Dodge 5; protection 1 point
(animal skin clothes)
Stamina Points 20
Initiative 2d6
Attack(s) [1]: Magic Stick Hit 2d6+1
(1d6-2 Damage Points)
Running 5; Alertness 10
Special Abilities:
Lake Eye’s Strengths are: Hand of the Ancestors,
Sight of the Owl, Wisdom of the Mammoth,
Inspiration of the Rocks, Rise of the Eagle (charm),
Eye of the Panther (charm), Protection of the Vixen
(charm). She is Weak. Her old age causes her to
lose 2 Dodge Points, 2 Running Points and
4 Stamina Points

Emmanuel Roudier

oLegends of the Torn Mountains Clan

One day, Rearing Horse got lost in the mists for over a moon.
Hungry and lost in the mountains, he found shelter in what turned out to be the lair of a terrifying red bear.
The red bear was about to eat him up, but his wife was impressed by Rearing Horse's bearing and insisted that
her husband let him share their shelter. There was a whole aurochs carcass in the cave, but the red bear only gave
Rearing Horse a tiny piece of meat. Then he grumpily declared that it was time to sleep and grudgingly invited the
man to sleep beside them.
Soon the bear was snoring so loud it made the cave walls shake.
"What are you waiting for?" said the she-bear, winking at Rearing Horse.
"Huh?" replied Rearing Horse.
"Go on, you know you want to,” purred the she-bear. "When he's sleeping like that he won't wake up until the
spring!"
So Rearing Horse jumped up, gave her a cheeky wink and... scoffed down a huge chunk of aurochs meat!
(This story always makes the men of the Torn Mountains clan laugh long and hard. And when they do the women
usually send them off to do some chore or other.)
Olivier

28
 What Lies in Wait
A few moons ago, the Earth shook. Since that day, a strange illness has struck the clan.
Can the PCs find a cure, with the help of the Long Men who have recently settled in the area?
The Same Old Nightmare
The shadow of Grandfather Bear fills the space
between the earth and the sky. He screams in pain,
so loud that it hurts your ears, while the evil light of
the Red Spirit devours his substance. The Spirit of
your ancestors wavers and falls heavily, crushing you
when it lands.
Once again, tonight the PCs wake up in a
cold sweat. Since the day the earth shook,
and the strange sickness appeared, nothing
has felt right. The first victim of this
sickness was Teardrop the shaman, then
others close to him. A child was born with
malformations. Some people seem to be
losing their minds. Even the animals seem to
have changed their behavior. And the season
of the Big Sleep (winter) is getting ever
closer…
The Elders predicted it. If the hunters do
not recover soon, there will not be enough
of them to go ahead with the great hunts
during the migrations, and the clan will not
have enough to build up a stock of food
for the ice season. It will bring famine, and
death…
The clan has visibly lost the favors of its
Guardian Spirit, the Red Bear. To add to
their misfortune, their “cousin” clans, with
whom they have many marital connections,
are too scared of being contaminated by
their curse and refuse to help…
The tribal council doesn’t know what to
do, and they have asked the bravest clan
members (well, the only ones who are not
sick!) to go and ask a mysterious wandering
clan of Long Men for help.
The Terrible Truth
“During the time of the eternal ice, the Red Spirit
reigned alone in the valley. Grandfather Bear
came to challenge him and tricked him out of his
beautiful, magical color. The Spirit was banished to
the Otherworld, but he swore that one day, he would
return to reap vengeance upon the children of the This is a scenario for
Great Bear.” a beginner or seasoned
(Secret legend of the valley of Bear Rock) GM and a group of
Bear-men characters.
Viper, the wife of Teardrop the late
shaman, is not dead. She has lost her mind
but she survived trying to kill herself (see
The clan of Bear Rock below). She now
believes that she is the incarnation of the
Red Spirit, who has convinced her that the
newcomers to the valley are the source of
all the tribe’s misfortunes. She focused all
her hatred on the Long Men, and she has
been persecuting them since she disappeared
(by chasing away their game, lighting fires,
attracting predators).
When a hunting group of Long Men set up
camp inside a network of caves to shelter
from the rain, she interpreted an earthquake
as another sign from the Red Spirit, and she
caused cave-ins to block their way out.
She will do everything she can to cause
the failure of the PCs’ mission. To begin
with, she will leave increasingly threatening
“signs”, then she will sabotage the attempt
to save the Long Men, and as a last resort,
she will use trickery and violence to prevent
the PCs from reaching the cave of the Red
Spirit.
What Lies in Wait 29
 The Bear Rock Clan (Patrilinear structure, Châtelperronian)
The camp of the Player Characters' (PCs) clan is set up on a mountainside, under a rocky outcrop that
vaguely resembles a bear. Their spacious cave looks out onto a small plateau that gives them a beautiful
view of the valley, and therefore a good lookout spot for the passage of the great herds during the
spring and fall migrations.
To the West, a waterfall (the Aley river) provides a constant supply of water. The river then runs down
to a small mountain lake (the Puddle), with banks covered in sweet-smelling herbs where the “small
game” animals sometimes come to drink (ibex, wild boar...).
The bottom of the mountain is bordered by a strip of woodland – the Dakk forest, subject of many a
scary tale – and beyond that stretches the steppe of the Bear Rock valley.
A few members of the Bear Rock clan:
Teardrop: even though he passed away several moons ago, the former shaman still retains all his
prestige among the clan. Crushed by her grief, his wife Viper had set up a form of worship to his
memory. The inconsolable widow ended up jumping from the top of the waterfall…
Grandfather Elm: the Voice of the Ancestors is a well-aged old man who no longer wanders
far from the cave. Although he is blind, he seems to have a supernatural sense of what kind of
mischief the children are up to while he is watching them.
Spike is the last “able-bodied” hunter in the tribe. This former tracker lost an arm two summers
ago. Now an expert in tanning and basketwork, he had to start hunting again to feed his people,
and his handicap prevents him from going after larger animals…
Sprogs: this old woman is the tribe’s midwife. She is also an amazing gatherer who knows the
mountainside like the back of her hand.

30 What Lies in Wait

Viper should remain an invisible but
increasing threat up until the perfectly
dramatic moment where she will reveal
herself in person, with all her madness
and hatred. Because of the rage bottled up
inside her, she currently has the Strength of
the Bear and gets a bonus of +1 for all her
hits during combat and for all her damage
rolls. She wields a huge club and throws big
boulders. Bear in mind that the PCs, thinking
at first that she is a ghost, will have to pass
a Fright Test (DT 9) or fight in a state of
superstitious terror (penalty of -2 for all their
tests).
The Tracking Begins
The earth is shaking again. Guided by trance
visions or by their tracking skills, the PCs can
find out where the lost Long Men have gone.
In Deervale, the next valley over, a half-day’s
walk to the South. The hunters are blocked
by a series of cave-ins inside a labyrinthine
network of caves, with a red she-bear who
is not at all happy about the presence of
these humans.
Digging out the rocks at the entrance is
not feasible for the group of PCs for the
moment, but they can see down through
the shafts that lead up from some of the
galleries to find the terrified Long Men,
who are now hungry and terrified by the
game of cat and mouse they are playing with
the angry bear (who has already gobbled up
a few of them) A few good ropes should be
enough to get them out of there.
But Viper is not having it…
Note: we suggest that the GM draw up a map
of the underground cave network, as simple
or complex as he wishes and has time for.
An Emotional Return
Tonight, the Long Men’s village is
celebrating. The shaman will ask for the
Elders’ advice. Their response is rather
unexpected: they ask for the Bear Spirit to be
freed. They are probably referring to the red
she-bear trapped in the caves, or to her Spirit
if she has died. In the latter case, the shaman
will reveal why she was so aggressive: she
was protecting her cub from the intruders.
They all need to pull together to open up
the entrance to the caves where the cave-in
occurred. Helped by the PCs, the strong
men of the Big Horse tribe will work as
long as it takes to completely open up the
entrance under the rock porch. This will
take a full day’s work, and they will need to
work carefully to avoid any injuries with the
large rocks constantly in a delicate balance.
If the PCs did not kill the red bear, they will
discover her dead body all the same. Hungry
and exhausted, she did not recover from her
wounds (those that the Long Men inflicted,
for example). Only the bear cub is still
alive, and he will run away without a second
thought, guiding the group to… the PCs’
village.
The young bear will head up the valley to
the source of the Aley, the river where the
clan of Bear Rock gets their drinking water,
far downstream. This is usually a place that
is taboo, as the mountaintops belong to the
Spirits.
The PCs will discover here that a landslide
has caused the small stream to leave its
bed and run through a cave with red stone
walls and a devilish stench (a vein of
mercury sulfate crystals* - also known as
red cinnabar) before returning to its natural
course, tainted by the evil vapors...
(*yep, heavy metal pollution: it’s a problem
that goes way back...)
What Lies in Wait 31
 The Big Horse Clan (Matrilinear structure, Aurignacians)
The travelling camp of the Long Men (Homo Sapiens) is set up at the southern end of the valley overlooked
by the Bear Rock clan’s camp. Usually the two clans avoid each other politely, occasionally exchanging gifts to
maintain good neighborly relations (ritual gift exchanges).
The group of messengers are free to take 15 exchange value points worth of gifts from the clan’s reserves
(see Würm page 100) to give to these strange Long Men and win their favors.
The journey will barely last more than a day. Possibly one night more, as it is customary that one should only
arrive at another clan’s camp at daybreak. It is up to the PCs to decide otherwise. Set up on the top of a hill,
the Long Men’s camp is made up of leather tents and surrounded by strange totems made of sculpted wood.
Only women, old men and children are visible.
After a cautious approach and the ritual exchange of gifts, the Big Horse village will give the messengers a
warm welcome and take them to see their Elders, some of whom speak their tongue. The Elders will pay
close attention to their tale and explain that their clan too is in a difficult situation. Their hunting group
should have returned from their hunt a week ago already, and without the precious fruit of the seasonal
hunts, their tribe too will have little hope of surviving the winter.
They will be willing to help the Bear Rock clan... in return for their help in finding their hunters first.
A few members of the Big Horse clan:
Rabbit is the clan’s shaman. He is an old man, riddled with arthritis, with a great sense of humor. He is
very proud of his rabbit skin hat with its crumpled ears.
Ears is the Voice of the Ancestors. She is the oldest member of the tribe, and grandmother to half of
them. She is known for her difficult personality. It is said that she once fell in love with a Bear-man.
Quick Crane is the daughter of Spear, the hunt leader. She is curious to a fault, and more than willing to
use her charms to convince a handsome Bear-man to help save her dear father…
Little Horse, an old berdache (man-woman), is still rather attractive. If the Elders of the village can
more or less speak the language of the PCs, she speaks it fluently. She is an excellent scout, but she
doesn’t know the valley as well as the members of the Bear Rock clan.

32 What Lies in Wait

It won’t be very hard to give the water Spirit
its purity back: all they need to do is return
the river to its original course by clearing
the rocks. It would also be a good idea to
perform a beautiful ceremony of thanks to
the Bear Spirit. As if to confirm the Spirits’
approval of this purifying action, the PCs
will see a herd of nice fat ibex appear close
by (about twenty of them) that they can hunt
with a bonus of +1 for all their rolls.

Epilogue
Things are gradually getting back to normal.
As both their tribes are temporarily
weakened, the Bear-men and the Long Men
will join forces to take part in the seasonal
hunts for reindeer and aurochs together. The
event will be celebrated with a great painting
on the walls of the cave in Deervale, now
known as the “Cave of the Mother Bear”.
The cave will become the new initiation
place where the shamans of the valley will
come to experience their visions. In fact the
shaman of the Long Man tribe will initiate
the new shaman of the Bear Rock clan there
to show his thanks.
The tribal council will ask for the PCs’
opinion when it comes to deciding what
to do with Viper (whether she is their
prisoner or whether she’s dead). Can she
be healed (exorcism)? Should her body be
given the funeral rites or should her Spirit be
condemned to wander restlessly?
The Long Men will continue their journey
once the Spring has come. Maybe they will
leave behind a little hybrid child, a sign of
things to come. But that is another story...
The Red She-Bear
Dodge 6; protection 2
LP 36 out of 48 (the Long Men have already
injured her a few times)
Initiative 2d6
Attack(s) [2]: Claws 3d6 (3d6 Damage
Points); Bite 3d6 (2d6+2 Damage Points)
Running 7; Steady Nerves 12; Alertness 9
Special Abilities:
Bear Hug: a bear that has managed to hit its
opponent in two Combat Rounds in a row
can attempt a Wrestling Test (4d6) against
him during the third Combat Round. If
the Test is a success, the bear inflicts 2d6
Damage Points on its victim per Combat
Round for as long as it can maintain its hold,
and any bites land at 4d6 instead of 3d6.

What Lies in Wait 33

 Viper
Dodge 7; Protection 1 (animal skin clothes)
Stamina Points 30
Initiative 2d6
Attack(s) [1]: Oak Club 2d6+1 (3d6+1 Damage Points)
in hand to hand combat, or Rock 2d6+1 (2d6+1 to 4d6+1
Damage Points) in ranged combat.
Running 7; Alertness 7
Special Abilities:
Fearsome Figure: the Bear-men who see Viper, thinking she
was dead and finding her disheveled, her face contorted
with madness and hatred, must carry out a Steady Nerves
Test (DT 9), or fight in a state of superstitious terror
(penalty of -2 for all their Tests).
Strengths: Venom of the Viper, Heart of Ice,
Cunning of the Weasel, Strength of the Bear
(as a consequence of her insanity).
Olivier Castan

oLegends of the Torn Mountains Clan

Horny Bear was the best wrestler in the tribe. But his dream was to become the best wrestler ever, and become
a legend.
“Oh wise Clear Sight, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. How can I always win and become a legend?”
“Hmm... You leave too much of yourself to one side. Look at all the children you have! Our enemy Orh Thek
doesn’t have a single child to look after! He is still as strong as ever!”

One morning, Horny Bear gathered all his children on the riverbank. He thought long and hard, then picked up
his biggest son... and hugged him tight. Then he led them back to the village, eager to make yet another child
with his wife.

Hiding behind a grassy knoll, Cheeky Bison let out the breath she was holding. She threw her dagger in the river
and ran to make herself beautiful and await her impossible husband.
Olivier

34
 The Great Silence
The Great Silence is the tale of an epic and magical quest, where the players’ characters have to
go looking for a way to lift a terrible curse. This adventure takes place in a region about five or
six days’ walk to the north of today’s Auvergne region in France, near the Allier river (known here
as the Winding River). The players come from the Rock Tooth clan, a tribe of Long Men, but the
GM can change this as necessary. The same goes for the whole cosmology described in this scenario.
Although this adventure is primarily designed for a group of Long Men characters, it is perfectly
possible to change this starting situation and take a group of Bear-men on this journey. If this is the
case, it would still be preferable that Bone Leg the witch and the Flaming Spears tribe remain
anatomically modern humans.

Prelude
When time began, Xa Nok, the dark Spirit of the night, fought Xa Zerun, the fire in the sky,
for control of the heavens and all that lives beneath them. Each in turn gained the upper
hand, leaving deep marks on the body of Sura, the mother of all things. For uncountable
seasons, the dark and the cold covered the earth in a cloak of ice and darkness. But little
by little, the warm season became hotter, longer, and everyone saw this as a sign of the
imminent victory of Xa Zerun.
When he saw this, the Spirit of darkness became very angry, and could not bear to lose his
grip in the world, even a little. So, with the help of Kasae, mistress of ice and blizzard, he
bestowed a dark gift on the inhabitants of the lands below.
A great quest
From the farthest corner of the sky, he threw down a rock of hatred and rage that liked with a few twists
nothing better than the silence and darkness of its infinite journey. As it crashed down in for a group of
a roar of fire and dust, the hateful Spirit that lived in the rock soon realized that its eternal Long Men.
wandering had come to an end. The silence of the void had given way to a cacophony of
sounds, smells, movements and living things. Overcome with rage, it sought to corrupt
everything around it, and soon the plants began to wither and the animals fled. To appease
this new monstrosity, all the living things around the shard of rock fell silent.

The Thorns clan, who worshipped the sun, the eye of Xa Zerun, lived not far from there.
The Long Men were concerned and curious, so they approached the rock, a huge clump of
icy, black crystal that they called Xa Nok’s tear. When they saw the devastation of the flora
and fauna around the crash site, and the nightmares that haunted their nights, their shaman
recommended that they carry out a long trance to implore the assistance of the sky-fire.
Weakened by their bad dreams, upset by the presence of the shadowy rock, betrayed by one
of their own who succumbed to the lies and promises of the night Spirit, they failed. The
ritual that was supposed to guide them corrupted them, and they became Dark Dreamers,
working for the night Spirit.

But the bad news did not stop there. The forest where the rock crashed was on the migration
path of a great herd of reindeer, led by Frosted Antlers, a majestic buck possessed by an
untamable Spirit of nature. He refused to submit to the will of the evil meteorite. He entered
the icy forest alone and charged the rock, trying to crush it in a titanic effort. But although
he tried with his whole mind and his whole body, he couldn’t break it. In his defeat,
the rock corrupted him and he too became an agent of hatred and rage...

The Great Silence 35

 The Rock Tooth Tribe
A few days walk away from this sparse forest
lives a community of hunter-gatherers.
One fine day during the warm season,
the members of the tribe go off hunting
reindeer, their favorite big game animal. As
they follow the tracks of a young solitary
male, they are led to this forest, one they had
always been rather wary of, out in the great
silent land.
The characters are part of the Rock Tooth
tribe, Long Men of the Aurignacian culture.
The tribe’s name comes from the rocks
that surround the cave where, long ago, the
ancestors met the lion that became their
Guardian Spirit.
There are thirteen men in the tribe. They
all wear necklaces made of seashells and
lion teeth. Glowing Lion is the hunt leader;
Silent Crow is a fearsome but silent javelin
thrower, Bear Arms is a sturdy and rather
hairy chap. Two hunters are still in initiation:
Moon Stone, a gifted flint crafter, and
Rumbling Sun, cheerful and daring. Night
Claw (36 winters) is the tribe’s chief. He is
admired for his wisdom and his generosity,
and he is said to be touched by the Spirit of
the Great Lion. Thunder Heart (38 winters)
is an accomplished shaman and an Elder.
Everyone looks to him for his wise counsel.
He is a very tall man, who has retained all his
energy.
There are fifteen women in the tribe.
Summer Snow has had white hair since
birth. She has the knowledge of the winter
women, witches who follow the teachings of
the taiga and the tundra. She is the wife of
chief Night Claw. Starry Mane is very old
(44 winters). Her hair is studded with bone
stars, and she is the Voice of the Ancestors.
36 The Great Silence
Wild Dawn is a stunning woman with ebony
hair and eyes. She is a talented charm maker
and well on her way to become a shaman
(she has yet to master Exorcism and Animal
Form). Singing Stone is a mystery for his
own people: he spends most of his time
with the women and dresses like them. Even
though he has seen thirty winters, he still has
no woman or children. He is tall, slim and
surprisingly beautiful. But he has been fragile
since he was a small child. He is an astute
man. He is incredibly talented in all the arts
of the Aurignacian culture.
The other members of the community are
the eleven children. There is a roughly
even gender distribution. The family line is
defined by the mother, and their exogamic
system works on the patrilocality system.
The Rock Tooth tribe’s main game animal is
reindeer. There are plenty of them and the
tribe is prosperous. Bellies are full and illness
is rare.
Guardian Spirit
Kaoro is the Spirit who watches over the
fate of the Rock Tooth tribe with the help
of the ancestors. He was the one who, long
ago, taught the Elders to hunt (see inset on
next page). In return, the men promised that
they would never kill a lion, unless it was in
self-defense. The majestic feline is therefore
the totem animal for the whole community.
Their main rituals are chants and dances
that are carried out before each hunt and
each combat, but also every day at dawn to
salute the flaming star and at dusk to request
protection from the evils of the night. The
heart of a defeated animal or enemy is
always given to the Great Gray Lion, and a
short prayer of appeasement is said to honor
their bravery. The rituals carried out on some
special occasions can refill the Manna pool.
 The Origin of the Tribe
Legend has it that when the tribe’s ancestors arrived in the region, they were haunted by the ghost of
annihilation. They were exhausted by a long and painful exodus that had shaken their every belief, and
they were being hounded by a group of cruel and aggressive Bear-men.
Then, one fine day, as they were searching in vain for something to hunt, the ancestors heard a deep
and majestic roar, followed by the sounds of a fight so intense that they thought two giants were
fighting each other on the peaks above them. They were curious, and they climbed the soft slope
leading up to the top.
Up there, in front of the entrance to a cave, the most impressive lion they had ever seen was sitting
next to the body of a gigantic bear with red fur. The wild beast’s eyes were full of intelligence, cunning
and determination. The beast bounded away in a single leap, leaving the stunned ancestors with a huge
and unexpected gift of meat. They feasted upon it.
Later, their dreams were filled with the presence of the lion, which they named Kaoro. Guided by
the lion Spirit, they met other communities who were also fighting the dark Bear-men. Together they
managed to defeat them. They tamed the dangers and discovered the resources of the area and settled
in there, on that soft slope, at the entrance to the cave where they had first met the giant lion. The
cave looked out over a rushing river with crystal clear waters and a sandy bed. To the south, the steppe
spread out like a beautiful green ocean as far as the eye could see. To the north, at the foot of a rocky
range, a large wood cast a mysterious shadow over one of the river bends. It was a perfect place to raise
countless generations.

When tribe members die, their heart and Allies

liver are left open to the judgment of the
winds, then their body is given to the wild
animals if they are found worthy. Only their
skull is kept in the sanctuary of the cave.
Taboos
Incest taboo, cannibalism taboo, totem taboo
about the killing of lions.
Secret Combat Techniques
The tribe Elders know the techniques of
Melee, Impaling and Flight of the Snowy Owl.
Night Claw and Bear Arms can teach the
science of Melee. Glowing Lion is a master
of Impaling and Silent Crow of the Flight
of the Snowy Owl.
The allies of the Rock Tooth tribe are the
Thorns, who live deep in the Whispering
Woods, and the Gray Braids, who live on
the banks of a wide river to the west of the
great steppe. These are the tribes they fought
with long ago against the Bear-men, who
worshipped the darkness and ruled the whole
land, or so the ancient stories say. Since then,
every time summer returns, the three tribes
meet during the great hunts to celebrate new
unions. These meetings take place around a
small lake, under the shadow of a single great
boulder, worn down by the weather. The
place is known as The Sleeper as the Elders
claim that the rock is a sleeping giant.

The Great Silence 37


A Strange Hunt
The players’ characters are part of a hunting
expedition led by Glowing Lion. The other
members of the group are Silent Crow and
two young hunters who are undergoing their
initiation, Rumbling Sun and Moon Stone.
It is the warm season. Because of the heat,
all the hunters are wearing simple loincloths
or skin tunics (0 Protection Points).
Summer is already well under way, and there
should be plenty of game. There have been
plenty of reindeer herds around since they
were led there by a splendid beast: Frosted
Antlers. This huge buck, with his gigantic
frost-covered antlers, efficiently protects
his herd and gives them the energy they
need to face predators and overcome the
harsh winter conditions. Strangely enough,
this morning the great herds are not on the
plateau where they usually come to graze. It
is not difficult to track them though. Their
tracks are obvious (DT 3), even though they
are not all that recent.
After two days walking west, the hunters
finally arrive at the edge of a sparse birch
forest: the Whispering Woods; a frightening
place (but not taboo) where strange sounds
can be heard. The herd’s tracks lead here,
but the reindeer are nowhere to be seen, and
their tracks do not seem to lead in between
the trees. Just as our hunters are beginning
to feel rather disheartened, a challenging
38 The Great Silence
call rings out in the forest. A young and
powerfully built male reindeer, his antlers
already fully grown, is standing a few steps
away from them, so near yet so far away. He
seems to be the only animal around, and his
challenge is clear: “Face me, hunters, if you
want to eat!”
The young buck then runs off into the
woods. To keep him in sight, they will need
to carry out Running Tests (DT 5 due to risk
of tripping), opposed to the prey’s Running
score. The distance between them and their
prey is about thirty meters to begin with.
The animal is weaving between the trees, and
hitting him with a throwing weapon will be
difficult (-4 penalty on Tests: -2 for the plant
cover, -2 for a running target). If the men
lose sight of the reindeer, they can always
track it (DT 5). The calls of the young buck
will spear them on if they get disheartened.
The trackers can notice (DT 5) that the
forest is completely silent and that this is
extremely unnatural.
What if...
Your players are wary about running into the
forest after the animal? The young Rumbling
Sun won’t be. He will rashly run off in
pursuit, and Glowing Lion will not let “that
young idiot get lost” or even “get butted by
those antlers”. If you don’t want to force
your players’ hand, you can have them
encounter the corrupted reindeer (see details
in the following paragraph) at the edge of
the forest, or even out on the steppe.
Frosted Antlers
As soon as the Game Master decides the
time is right, after leading the PCs on for
a while, the real encounter of this hunting
expedition appears from behind a huge
tree, sealing their fates. A gigantic reindeer,
a truly terrifying sight, stands before them.
The characters recognize him: it’s Frosted
Antlers, the leader of the herd. But there is
nothing left of the majestic animal they once
knew. His coat is exuding a mixture of pus
and blood, his nose is covered in a green
slime that crackles evilly when it drips to the
ground, his eyes are nothing but darkness
and his huge antlers are covered in ice
crystals. The beast is nothing more than an
evil creature filled with rage and hatred.
The monstrosity then lets out a great
roar that would freeze even the bravest
of warriors on the spot (DT 9 for Steady
Nerves), then it charges the Long Men,
reversing the roles of hunter and hunted.
Moon Stone and Rumbling Sun only fight
from a distance. The great buck fights to
the death. When it comes, in one last effort,
Frosted Antlers looks around at each of A pale Glowing Lion says that he knows a
the hunters who fought him hand to hand. witch called Bone Leg who has found shelter
Each of them clearly hears the words of a in some caves a few days south of here. The
desperate curse form in the depths of their Elders mentioned her during the last clan
mind: gathering at the beginning of the season of
Xa Zerun. Maybe she could lift the curse...
“My blood that you have spilled, Glowing Lion refuses to return to the camp
Covers those who have killed. and suggests they should explore the forest,
Drunk with hatred and fears, for the great buck came from the heart of
From now on will you live, the woods. The hunt leader also suggests
Sorrow, terror and tears, that they send the two young hunters back
To your herd will you give.” to the camp to let the Rock Tooth tribe
know what has happened to them, as they
were not touched by Frosted Antlers’ blood.
The Options Silent Crow will only give his opinion if he is
From that moment on, the PCs can feel a asked directly, and will hesitantly answer that
shadow weighing on their heart: days of he agrees to explore the forest to discover
sorrow are upon them. The unnatural silence its mysteries. He does not want to return to
of the forest is even more noticeable after their camp, and thinks that the cause of their
the combat has ended. It is time to make misfortune is in the woods. Moon Stone and
their choice: return to their own camp and Rumbling Sun are unsure about going back.
cause the downfall of their own people, Moon Stone remains calm, and suggests
explore this silent forest to discover what that they should go looking for the witch.
caused the great buck’s corruption, or look Rumbling Sun is all fired up and doesn’t
for help elsewhere? want to be sent back to the tribe.

The Great Silence 39

 The PCs may come up with other options.
They should take part in this decision and
realize just how rare it is for young hunters
to be given a say in their own destiny.
Usually, the tribe’s Elders make the decisions
for the whole group. The silence, growing
ever more oppressive, should weigh on their
choice. The woods seem to be an enemy
in their own right, but it is a good idea to
explore them to resolve the mystery of the
corruption of the legendary animal. Then
they can go looking for Bone Leg the witch
as a second step.
The only really bad choice would be to go
back to their tribe’s camp and therefore
contaminate the whole community with
the curse they carry. If they did, then
they would lose a considerable amount of
Prestige Points.
What if...
Your characters want to go to the Thorns’
camp? Make it clear that they would be
endangering their allies. The other members
of the team do not like this idea. If they
manage to convince their companions
through persuasion or persistence, then do
not block them. Visiting the camp of the
Thorns clan can teach them a lot. (See the
description of the Dark Dreamers in the
appendix.)
The Whispering Woods
Following the tracks left by Frosted Antlers
will not be all that hard (DT 7). They lead into
the heart of the forest, which is filled with a
deathly silence. Everything seems still, as if
waiting to be delivered from an evil presence.
There are no animals in sight, not even an
insect. But the worst is still to come. After
an hour’s cautious walking, the PCs discover
plants and trees that are completely twisted,
like a human would be if they were in intense
40 The Great Silence
pain. The earth has turned a sickly color. The
trackers will have to take a Steady Nerves Test
(DT 7) to continue to move forward in this
nightmare landscape. A failure on this Test
means that the character doesn’t dare to go
any further into the woods. For those who
are brave enough, the answer to their many
questions is close at hand.
About a hundred steps further, a desolate
landscape appears in front of the PCs:
mounds of earth that look like the bruised
lips of a gigantic mouth, trees sticking up
through the ground like broken teeth. The
whole area looks like the maw of a Leviathan,
screaming silently at the heavens.
At the center of this chaos, a black stone
roughly the size of a man is stuck in the
upturned forest floor. An aura of hatred
and anger is radiating from the stone. A
wide crack runs down the stone from top to
bottom. After a quick look around the area,
they can see traces of a struggle (trampled
earth, bits of reindeer antlers, shards of
black stone...). The PCs are therefore in the
presence of the thing that corrupted the
nature of the great buck. There is no doubt
that the rock is emitting an invisible veil of
fury. Each of them feels a strange anger
rise within them towards everything nearby:
animals, plants, and humans. They must leave
the area very quickly or they will end up like
Frosted Antlers. Any attempt to destroy Xa
Nok’s tear is doomed to fail.
The Journey
The cursed PCs and their companions
cannot return to their clan, so they will need
to find outside help. Bone Leg the witch
is their only hope. They don’t know much
about her. During the last clan gathering,
at the beginning of the warm season, the
Elders of the Thorns clan mentioned that
she lived in the caves two days south of the
Whispering Woods. She is a tall redheaded
woman who walks with a limp, always carries
a gigantic club and wears all kinds of strange
charms. Nobody has ever come close
enough to her to engage in conversation.
They therefore know nothing at all about her
intentions. They will need to win her favors
by bringing quality gifts.
The PCs have two days’ journey to find
something to win her over with. The forest
can provide rare plants, on their travel
they can find animals for meat and pelts,
or maybe even interesting rocks (see the
rules of hunting and gathering in the core
rulebook, page 42 to 46). 15 to 20 Trading
Value Points seems to be a pretty good
amount to start their negotiations. The
journey lasts for two full days, and it can be
interesting to develop on it. They will need
animals for food, and they can come across
predators, depending on the strength of your
players’ group. Under the influence of the
curse, these animals will always be dark and
aggressive. Even characters who have the
Grace of the Swan or the Song of the Blackbird
Strengths won’t be able to calm these fierce
animals. They will have to fight them, and
risk increasing their rage.
Suggested Encounter:
A pack of red wolves, led by a vicious alpha
male, is harassing the PCs. They are always
on their heels, trying to grab the fruit of
their hunting or scaring off the game (as you
prefer), the canines can even attempt to attack
the weaker members of the group. When
night comes, their presence is even more
noticeable as they prowl nearby.
Only a good fire will keep them at bay.
They are excellent trackers and tireless
runners. Trying to lose them or distance them
will be a tough task.
Bone Leg
The Cursed Ones finally reach the hills
where they can find the witch’s caves.
Finding her lair will require them to carry
out a difficult Tracking Test (DT 9).
A narrow path winds its way along the edge
of a short cliff to her cave. The opening
of the cave is partly covered by plants.
As they enter, they can see a fire burning
at the back of the cave, its smoke rising up
through a natural chimney. The cave is well
furnished with furs and branches, and it
seems very comfortable. It’s pleasantly warm
inside. There are high quality paintings on all
the walls. There are things hanging all over
the place: bone, stone and ivory trinkets,
charms, bunches of rare and fragrant herbs,
dried animal remains... They can also notice
the presence of a passage leading to other
parts of the cave. They can also hear the
crystal clear sound of trickling water far
away. In the middle of all of this, a tall
woman with bright red hair is waiting for
them, leaning on a large club made of wood
studded with stone shards. Despite her
fearsome appearance, she is not uncomely,
in fact far from it. She seems to have a
magnetic personality. All those who meet the
green flame of her gaze find it hard to look
away.
When the PCs arrive in her lair, she speaks
in a gruff voice: “The night’s whispers have
preceded you.” Bone Leg invites her guests
to settle comfortably and, according to the
rules of hospitality, offers them food and
water. In turn, it is time to offer their gifts,
and each of them is examined with care. She
then encourages the PCs to tell her about the
events that have brought them to her. After
a moment’s thought, she mentions that
she had dreamed the arrival of travellers
marked by the shadow, looking for
information.
The Great Silence 41
 She will need the counsel of the Spirits to
understand how to get rid of this curse and
end the stone’s influence. A trance ceremony
is required for all. However, before she will
give her help, Bone Leg wishes to negotiate
three things: the first is the broken antlers of
the great buck. The second is a shard of Xa
Nok’s tear. And the third is a companion for
the next six seasons (three years). The only
negotiable part is the duration for which her
husband must remain (two seasons less), but
she will choose him herself from among
the PCs. Once the negotiations are over, the
ritual can begin.

As the PCs are not shamans, swallowing a

magic drink will help them to cross through
the many circles of consciousness. Before
that, they will need to purify their mind
and body. They will wash their bodies clean
of any impurities by bathing in a natural
pool in one of the caves, where the water
has purifying properties. To honor the
underground river, each of them will need
to give a little blood by cutting their chest
with a ceremonial knife provided by their
hostess (-1d3 Stamina Points). To purify
their minds, a fast of a full day and night will
be necessary: hunger refines the thinking
and heightens perception. They will spend
that time meditating to come closer to the
Spirit world. The witch will use this time to
prepare the elixir, well away from them to
protect her Secret Skill.
Once those steps have been carried out,
Bone Leg comes to get the PCs, wearing
her shamanic outfit: her body is completely
painted, and naked except for a panther pelt,
reaching from the animal’s mouth which
covers her head all the way down to her
feet. The shaman then covers their skin with
strange painted shapes, while murmuring
an entrancing chant from the dawn of time.
Then they are finally given the ceremonial
drink, bitter and spicy. It triggers strong
alternating feelings of heat and cold. Have
the PCs undergo a Test to enter their trance
state (DT 7, the drink gives them a bonus
of 2 for their roll). After the Test, the PCs
all feel a violent prickling sensation all over
their skin, then they feel as if their skin was
leaving their body, layer after layer, until they
can see their internal organs! These images
are accompanied by violent spasm and
cramps. Let your players have a moment of
doubt where they wonder if they have been
poisoned, or if they have failed.
At last, the PCs fall into blissful
unconsciousness. For those who did
not manage to enter a trance state, the
experience ends there. The others are hit by
unbelievably strong visions, a different one
for each person. Here are a few examples,
but the GM is welcome to add anything
he wishes:

42 The Great Silence

Hunters from different clans come together in
front of a bloated, seeping black rock. The men
are quarrelling, but the subject of their fight is
unknown. One group among the fighters seems
to be enjoying the whole thing. They are wearing
necklaces made of pale, white bones that stand out
against the black body paintings that hide their
features. None of them have any hair or body
hairs. Their leader is wearing a dark pendant, like
a stone tear. His darkened face stands out from
the others by the red lines drawn around his eyes.
He wears two human half-skulls on his powerful
shoulders, held in place with leather strips. Then
the argument turns into a fight and much blood
is spilled. Suddenly the scene freezes and all those
involved prostrate themselves before the stone,
united like brothers.
Men in a state of insanity are killing each other,
inflicting terrible wounds. Far away, a dark
creature is enjoying this scene of violence. Suddenly
a thick, sticky rain falls over this evil being. The
monstrosity is trying to rid itself of this sticky
liquid, but it can’t; the more it scrubs, the more the
substance sinks into it. The shape begins to turn
red and a second later bursts into flames, then its
body is scattered in a hot breath.
A ceremony is taking place in front of the
dreaming PC, but no one notices him. The
celebrants are Long Men. A great fire is burning
in front of the entrance to a cave. In the distance a
mountain is spitting out its own glowing lifeblood.
The whole tribe then begins a crazed dance around
the fire, shaking their javelins at the flames. An
old man and a young woman appear, both with
dead eyes. In a wooden bowl, they bring a sticky
substance that smells strongly of both minerals
and plants. The strange couple then daubs the
dancers’ javelins with this strange substance.
When the dancers approach the fire again, their
javelins all catch fire with a crackling sound, as
the crowd cheers them on. Suddenly the PC notices
that the young blind woman has turned towards
him and is staring at him with her dead eyes.
A man is crying (one of the PCs, maybe even the
one having the vision). At his feet are the broken
bodies of a woman and a child: his own wife and
son. He realizes that the blood that fills his mouth
and covers his arms and face is their blood. He
remembers that in a moment of infinite fury, after
a simple disagreement, he massacred the people he
cares about most in the whole world. A guttural
cry of despair comes out of his mouth. But the
cry is not human; it is the bellow of a reindeer.
The man’s consciousness wavers and spins in the
darkness.
A cave lion is looking out over a vast steppe from
a wide rocky promontory. His coat has lost its
luster. He is hungry, so very hungry. Yet out on
the steppe he can see reindeer. They are scrawny
though, weak with sickness, and he knows that
if he eats them, he too will perish, like his mate
and their cubs. He remembers the time when the
herd of reindeer was huge and healthy, led by a
powerful male. He decides to go looking for him.
He sniffs at the wind and finds a very faint trace
of his odor, both familiar and different at the
same time. He runs off, putting his last strength
into this final chase. He crosses the steppe and
sees nothing but desolation. The breath of Sura
is gone from this place. Led by the smell of the
great buck, he reaches a wood that was once full
of whispers. There is nothing but silence. Then, at
last, he sees it on the ground: the body of the great
buck, once so powerful and now but a shadow.
As the dead body rots, so too does his spirit fester.
The ritual to honor his courage was not carried
out. And so, he who was once the very life force of
this steppe has now poisoned the lion with his rage
and hatred. The flame of the lion’s life, which once
burned so bright, is extinguished. The great hunter
lies down across the body of Frosted Antlers.
Never again will he hunt on the plains.
The Great Silence 43
 Once the visions are over, everything turns
black. Then, little by little, the world comes
back into focus: first a sound, then a smell,
the cold followed by an intense heat, a
whirlpool of sensations that slowly stabilizes.
Bone Leg is sitting by the fire, watching
them closely. When they have all regained
consciousness, she offers them a few roasted
hares to eat. She stays stubbornly silent until
they have all eaten, then asks them in turn to
tell her about their shamanic journeys. She
patiently listens to each tale, and then asks
them what they understood. She corrects
anything that may have been misinterpreted.
Bone Leg’s Interpretation
Lifting Frosted Antlers’ curse requires the
destruction of the black rock with the
help of a sticking and foul-smelling
substance: the all-consuming flame.
To achieve this, the PCs will have
to find a tribe that knows the
secret of such sorcery. They are
the Flaming Spears, a clan that
lives three days’ walk away from
her cave to the South, at the foot
of an area known as the Blood
Mountains. After that, the Rock
Tooth hunters will have to carry out the
funeral rites to honor the death of the great
reindeer: remove the liver and heart, expose
the organs on a spear so that Frosted Antlers
can be judged by the winds, the breath of
the great Spirits, then they must burn his
body to purify it. Whatever they do, the PCs
must not return to their own clan before
they carry out this quest. They must be wary
of the men who worship the stone and
never fight them near the stone itself. The
witch seems to know the Flaming Spears
clan, but she remains vague when speaking
about them. (She never managed to discover
44 The Great Silence
their secret and is rather bitter about it.)
The time comes to leave, and Bone Leg
reminds each of them of the promises they
have made. She gives the PCs five doses
of her healing balm, and five doses of the
potion of spiritual fire, an elixir that allows
the drinker to resist the dangers of the mind
(+3 for Tests for resisting mental attacks
during a whole day, including Steady Nerves
Tests and Rage Tests). She gives her future
mate a beautiful ivory dagger engraved with
the figure of a panther. It will allow the
witch to always be in contact with its bearer.
The dagger is a magic weapon: it gives its
bearer a bonus of +1 for hits and +1 for
damage (1d6 + 2). It will also become a focal
point for the witch to curse the PC if he
does not keep his word.
A Long Trek
This long walk to the land of the Flaming
Spears clan, the land of volcanoes (modern
day Auvergne region in France) must be
demanding. The PCs are in an unknown
territory, as they have already left the clan
lands that only reach as far South as the
Whispering Woods. Travelling in this new
land is difficult; the tiniest wrong move
could put them in unexpected danger. Let’s
not forget that because of the curse, all this
stress could increase the PCs’ rage levels.
They will probably need to hunt for food,
and maybe prepare some gifts to create a
good first impression on the Flaming Spears
clan. Let them face dark predators, icy rains
and any other unpleasant events that you can
think of. Exhaust them without killing them,
and make them cruelly aware of the weight
of the curse on their shoulders.
Suggested Encounters:
The red wolves may return, if the alpha male
is still alive. They could come across a swarm
of aggressive bees that the travelers can
hear coming with their loud buzzing. A lone
predator, a grumpy rhinoceros or a violent
storm are among the other obstacles that can
“brighten” our hunters’ travels. Furthermore,
if their rage levels are already high, their
perception of danger could well be altered.
A perfectly calm animal or human could
appear to be threatening or mocking them.
The GM also has the option of inflicting
nightmares on the characters, making their
nights as rough as their days.
The Dark Dreamers
When the GM considers that they are ready,
he can make them encounter the Dark
Dreamers (at sunset if possible). There are
three of them, and they appear with their
arms crossed over their chests as a sign of
peace. However their weapons are close
to hand. Their leader, Obsidian Heart, is
a dignified man who wears a pendant that
absorbs light and looks like a stone tear. His
face is painted black, except around his eyes,
where it is painted red. He is wearing two
human half-skulls as protection on his wide
shoulders, held in place with leather strips.
His two companions are also hiding their
features behind black paint and necklaces
made of bone. They all have shaved heads
and chins. Two other warriors are hiding
within javelin range. Although they are
unrecognizable, the three men introduce
themselves as members of the former
Thorns tribe.
This information should be completely
overwhelming for the PCs! The men who
stand before them are nothing like their
former allies. Their looks have changed,
but so have their words. They do not hide
anything of the events that changed them.
They are not coming to fight with the Rock
Tooth clan, but to invite them to return
with them to the stone that fell from the sky
and serve it. They consider the characters
as chosen by the rock, carriers of rage and
hatred, and emissaries of Xa Nok. They
never seek to provoke any confrontation,
and they hold the Cursed Ones in high
regard. However, if the characters do
The Great Silence 45
 start a fight, they will fight back with
determination and cruelty. If they can’t
convince the PCs, they will leave, but they
will be visibly disappointed. They will then
travel back to the black rock as quickly as
possible. They too have had visions sent by
the night Spirit. Members of their clan are
on their way to attack the Flaming Spears
and therefore remove the threat of that
burning substance. Before they leave them,
they tell the PCs that their quest is in vain:
they are marked by the darkness and they
can’t do anything about it.
This encounter should sow the seed of
doubt in your players’ hearts. What do their
enemies really know? They will soon find
out.
Suggestion:
To spice up the debate, you can add the
pretty young Blue Feather to Obsidian
Heart’s group, and she will inflame the heart
of Silent Crow (and maybe also one of the
PCs!). Maybe he will overcome his shyness
to try and convince his loved one. If the
conversation becomes a fight, could he take
her defense, changing the balance of the two
sides?
The Flaming Spears
The Cursed Ones have finally arrived in
the territory of the Flaming Spears clan:
the Blood Mountains. Indeed, from the
plain they have now reached, they can see
mountains, some of them constantly fuming,
and others covered in snow. Here fire and ice
are at war. This sight will cause wonderment
among them, combined with a fear and
reverence for the power and magical mystery
of nature.
To find the camp of the Flaming Spears,
they will need to follow their tracks by
46 The Great Silence
finding their hunting grounds (DT 7).
This is not hard to do, as reindeer are their
favorite game. The camp is set up inside a
gigantic rock shelter up on a rocky peak,
looking out over a thick forest. Nearby a
mountain stream gushes over a drop and
crashes down a few meters below before
resuming its rapid flow. But the Rock Tooth
folks don’t have time to take in all these
details. War has devastated the Flaming
Spears. Bodies lie in twisted positions
made grotesque by death. Men, women
and children have all been killed with the
same savagery. They can see bite marks
left by human teeth. Some limbs have
been severed and are nowhere to be seen.
But the defenders fought well, and among
the victims are warriors painted black and
wearing bone decorations. The attackers
abandoned their own without paying them
any form of respect. Searching the battlefield
will allow them to observe a few things: The
blind woman that one of the PCs saw in
a vision is not among the dead. Searching
will not allow them to find any significant
amount of the flammable substance, just a
little left on the spears or javelins.
Successful Tracking Tests (DT 7) will allow
them to find the tracks left by the bone-
wearing warriors. They have not made any
effort to hide their tracks. Another Tracking
Test (DT 9) will allow them to discover
that they are only a few hours behind the
attackers, and that the fight probably took
place during the night before their arrival.
If they walk hard and fast, the hunters
can catch up with their targets in a day (12
hours). Remember to use the rules for travel
and fatigue (see Würm pages 47 and 66).
Let your players plan out the ambush. The
disciples of Xa Nok, still high on the rush
of their victory, will not be as alert as they
should be. There are as many enemies as the
group of your players + Glowing Lion and
Silent Crow if they are still alive. The Dark
Dreamers have captured the blind woman
and six children. If half of the enemy
warriors fall during the combat, the survivors
run away.
Once the battle is over, there is still plenty
left to do. Your players will have to convince
the young blind woman – whose name is
Ash – to help them destroy the black rock
by using the sticky substance they saw in
their visions. This substance is called the all-
consuming flame. These are the points that
can win Ash over: getting revenge on the
men who murdered her clan’s people; taking
part in the destruction of an evil Spirit that
is corrupting living things; and last but not
least, the hope for her and the children to
join a new clan. Let’s hope that the PCs will
be persuasive.
Before they leave, Ash insists on carrying
out the ritual cremation of the members
of her community, whose bodies are
currently at the mercy of scavengers. She
also needs to gather the embers (inhabited
by the Guardian Spirit of her clan) and the
ashes (which contain the remains of several
generations of ancestors) of the sacred fire.
If the PCs gracefully accept to take part in
these ceremonies, they will win the favors of
the blind woman.
Recommendations:
During the combat, remember to include
attacks from women and children with a
murderous look in their eyes. Remind the
PCs that they are fighting their friends
and family members (through the unions
between the clans). Make it easy for them
to neutralize their opponents without killing
them if they wish to do so.
The Return
It is high time for the Cursed Ones to return
to their ancestral lands and confront the
black rock. The return journey will take
them five days walk that they will need to
make use of to gather all the ingredients
they need to make the all-consuming flame.
As well as looking out for their own safety,
the characters will also need to look after
six children and a young blind woman who
holds the secret to lifting the curse that
weighs on their shoulders.
As the hunters are still suffering the effects
of Frosted Antlers’ curse, this journey can
by interrupted by a few extra events from
your imagination. But you can also decide to
move it on quickly, as the PCs have already
been through a lot.
Suggestion:
On their way back, if the PCs talk to
Ash or to one of the children, their new
companions might suggest that they take the
Winding River, a river with alternating rapids
and slow, winding sections, to return to their
lands. Riding a raft on the river could indeed
help them save time on their journey, but it
could also be dangerous for those who don’t
know its twists and turns.
The Final Test
They have finally reached the Whispering
Woods. Don’t forget that the whole forest
is completely and unnaturally silent. The
body of Frosted Antlers is still there, in the
state in which the PCs left it. No predator
would dare to eat this foul carcass. They
can therefore wish to honor the great buck
by taking his rotting heart and liver and
displaying them on spikes in the steppe to
be judged and purified by the winds. By also
burning his remains, they will have taken
one step towards the end of their ordeal.
The Great Silence 47
 Have them play out the scene and insist on
the importance of this ritual. This is not
something to be rushed. If the ceremony
was carried out correctly, you can remove
part or all of the Rage Points accumulated
by the PCs. They will feel the level of threat
weighing on them lessen somewhat.
Next, they need to take care of the black
rock. The disciples of Xa Nok whom they
met on their way to the Flaming Spears are
there, but there are more of them. There
are at least a dozen of them (men, women,
children) and they never leave the makeshift
camp set up near the rock. They take it in
turns to hunt and always leave at least one of
them behind to watch over the rock.
The Rock Tooth hunters will have to get
rid of them before they can burn the stone
tear. Remind them of Bone Leg’s warning:
they mustn’t fight them near the rock, or it
will use their anger to corrupt them! If they
choose to ignore this warning, they will have
to carry out a Test of resistance against its
mental influence (DT 9) during each combat
round. If they fail the Test, the rock will
control them and make them try to kill one
another. It is a far better idea to use some
cunning and come up with a plan to lure the
guardians away from the rock Spirit.
Once the Dark Dreamers have been
defeated, it is time to tackle the dark rock.
Destroying it will not be easy. The evil
crystal is at the heart of a crater about
twenty steps across. The rock will fight back
against any intruders the moment they set
foot inside the outer rim. When the PCs
approach it, the rock will let out a jarring and
unhealthy vibration that shakes their limbs
and unsettles their nerves. Every step is an
ordeal. Moving forward by just a few meters
is a battle. During each Combat Round, the
maximum movement inside the crater is
48 The Great Silence
half the character’s running score, in other
words 3.5 steps per Combat Round (5 steps
for a character who has the Speed of the
Horse Strength). The anger within each of
the PCs swells and boils. Round after Round,
have each of the PCs carry out a Resistance
Test: DT 7 for the first three Rounds, then
DT 9 for the next three, then likewise for
DT 12 and 15. The Strengths Heart of Ice,
Wisdom of the Mammoth and Magic of
the Rhinoceros give a bonus of 1d6. If a
PC fails, he remains still during that round,
paralyzed by the pain, and suffers the loss
of 1d6 Stamina Points. The plants that were
corrupted by the meteorite move to and fro,
even though there is no wind at all. Branches
and roots strain towards the characters, and
attempt to grab hold of them with their
claw-like ends (Attack score for grabbing:
2d6). If a character is grabbed, the plant
merely holds him fast until the rock is done
with him. A Strength Test is necessary (DT
7) to escape the grasp of the corrupted tree.
They will need at least four combat rounds
to reach the rock, and then two other full
combat rounds are required to spread the
all-devouring flame over the rock. Then,
they will need to set it alight. Let’s hope that
the PCs thought to light a flame before the
attack! It is possible to set fire to Xa Nok’s
tear with a flaming spear.

The black rock catches fire, sending out a
wave of heat and sound, as if it came from
outer space, barely audible but vibrating
with a sense of danger in everyone’s gut
and limbs. Exploding into molten stone
and flame, the rock lets out a dark shape
surrounded by flames. The shape rises up
into the air, pulsating in pain, until the rays
of Xa Zerun finally consume it.
Straight away, the sounds of the forest
return: the wind in the branches, the rustling
of leaves, and the sounds of animals great
and small. All those little whispers that the
humans find so familiar. The corrupted trees
return to their usual shape and release any
prisoners they may have grabbed. In the
distance, they can hear a powerful reindeer
roar…
The Dark Dreamers come to their senses,
and are perfectly aware of everything they
did while under the influence of Xa Nok.
There are few of them left, they have all but
destroyed the whole of the Flaming Spears
clan, and turned away from their Guardian
Spirit and their ancestors. The future is
looking rather bleak for them.
The Rock Tooth hunters have rid themselves
of the curse of Frosted Antlers, and the PCs
can return to their clan with a light heart
free from any foreboding. Their Elders will
listen to their tale carefully, considering each
decision they made and every action they
took. The clan will be very proud of their
deeds and there soon will be a song telling
the tale of their adventures. However, there
will be a number of promises to uphold:
for a start, bringing Frosted Antlers’ crown
and a shard of the stone to Bone Leg. She
will also be eagerly awaiting her temporary
mate. Ash and the children can join the Rock
Tooth clan with the approval of the Elders.
As a reward, the players can be awarded two
(2) Experience Points each. They will each
win forty (40) Bravery Points for having
fought the Dark Dreamers and destroyed the
black rock. They will also win twenty (20)
Generosity Points each if they welcomed the
surviving members of the Flaming Spears
clan and suggested to their clan to take them
in, as well as the points earned for their
gifts to Bone Leg. If the characters did not
uphold their promises to the witch, they
will each lose fifteen (15) Generosity Points,
and double that (30) for the one who was
supposed to become her mate (plus the
fact that they will have to deal with the
witch’s angry reaction…).
The Great Silence 49
 Appendix
The effects of the curse
From the moment the PCs are contaminated
by the blood of Frosted Antlers, they will
be imbued with a permanent anger that they
will have to keep in check, or they will be
overcome with a destructive rage that will be
aimed at themselves or their companions.
During each situation of significant
stress, verbal or physical conflict, the PCs
will have to carry out a Resistance Test (one
roll per scene) to contain their increasing
level of rage. The difficulty of this Test is
7 (DT 7). If the Test is a success, nothing
happens: the Cursed One remains in control.
If the Test is a failure, he gains a Rage Point
and his anger explodes. During a dialogue
phase, it is up to the player to play out the
effects of this anger fittingly.
When a PC obtains a Rage Point, he
must carry out another Resistance Test
immediately, with a difficulty equal to his
Rage Point level. If he fails again, then it
means he is possessed by his rage! Until
the end of the scene, the GM controls the
character, who will be violent towards friend,
foe and even himself.
During a combat, the PC can choose, on
his own initiative, to release a true warrior
fury without carrying out a Resistance Test:
if so, then he gets a bonus of +2 for hits
and damage. He immediately gains one Rage
Point. If he attempts to contain the rage
but fails his Resistance Test, the bonuses are
divided by two, but the Rage Point is still
fully acquired.
50 The Great Silence
The Strengths Heart of Ice, Wisdom of the
Mammoth or Magic of the Rhinoceros grant
an extra 1d6 to roll as a bonus on all the
Resistance Tests for the curse. If the GM is
in a generous mood, he can allow a character
to take one die from the Manna pool to
decrease his Rage score by 1 point (once per
day per PC).
The Flaming Spears
This is a Long Man clan living on the edge
of a volcanic region (modern day Auvergne,
in France), a land of ice and fire. They
received a number of Secret Skills from
their Guardian Spirits, Sura and the Fire
of Ages, that form a new set of Skills: the
Teachings of the Bloodlands.
The community, made up of around forty
people when the attack occurs, is guided
by two shamans: Speaking Embers (43
winters) and Ash (23 winters). They are
both blind, for that is the price that the
Fire of Ages demands they pay to learn its
formidable sorcery.
The Fire of Ages is the great fire that burns
constantly in the center of the camp. It is a
powerful Spirit that has warmed, protected
and taught the community for generations.
It is also the receptacle for the souls of the
ancestors, for every time a Flaming Spear
dies, their body is given to the fire.
After the destruction of the tribe, young Ash
will want to return to the camp, to burn the
bodies and take the embers away with her, in
order to save the tribe’s Guardian Spirit and
the memory of her clan. Aside from Ash,
the survivors of the clan are called Butterfly
(8 winters), Dragonfly (9 winters), Cheeky
Coal (6 winters), Salamander (5 winters),
Lazy Fox (8 winters) and Viper (6 winters).

The All-Consuming Flame
The all-consuming flame is a substance
invented by the Flaming Spears, with the
help of their Guardian Spirits. It is a mixture
of plant resins, black rock oil, various plants
and animal grease. The resulting paste is
very flammable. The hunters daub it on
their javelins and spears, then they set light
to them to scare their prey (+2 for Tests)
or burning them (+2 for Damage). This
substance takes a long time to prepare and
requires a complex preparation ritual. Only
an initiated shaman who has given his or
her sight to the fire Spirit can carry it out
successfully (DT 12 for the preparation).
This mixture is a part of a new set of
Teachings: the Bloodlands. The GM can
develop the other Secret Skills of these
Teachings as seems fitting.
Xa Nok’s tear
The black meteorite is the size of a man
and made of some kind of seeping icy
crystal that seems to absorb light. It emits an
invisible wave of rage and it is instinctively
obvious that it is not from this world.
The hateful Spirit that inhabits it is in a
state of perpetual fury. Only silence can
appease it. Under Xa Zerun’s fire, the rock
is sleeping, its powers diminished: resisting
its control has a DT 7, then the difficulty
increases, as explained in The Final Test, with
a range of 20 meters. As the night falls, the
evil Spirit is at the height of its destructive
capabilities: DT 15 to resist its control, with
a range of 50 meters.
Only the all-consuming flame can destroy
the black rock. If a living creature
approaches it, the rock produces a barely
audible buzzing that the intruder can feel
in their belly. This will completely panic
whoever experiences it: they must carry out
a difficult Steady Nerves Test (DT 9), and if
they fail, they run away.
The Dark Dreamers
The Thorns clan was, until recently, a
powerful and prosperous group of roughly
forty people who would travel between the
two main camps following the seasons. In
the summer, the community travels up to a
high rocky plateau with plenty of mineral
resources (flint, stone of night…) and in the
winter they return down to the Whispering
Woods where they can access all the
treasures of the forest (wood, roots, plants,
bark…). During the warm season, they
worship Xa Zerun, and in the cold season
the Face Tree, a great pine, son of the fire
in the sky. Their interaction with the Rock
Tooth clan and the Gray Braids were very
frequent and the ties of their friendship were
strong.
But that was before Xa Nok’s tear fell upon
the forest. When the inhabitants of the
Whispering Woods noticed the damage done
to their minds and to nature itself by the tear
from the sky, they tried to carry out a daring
ritual, led by their shaman Singing Thrush.
Through the Face Tree, they implored
the help of his father, the fire in the sky.
Haunted by the nightmares that filled their
nights and by the presence of the meteorite,
betrayed by the young Obsidian Heart who
killed the shaman, they were corrupted by
the ritual and became the docile servants of
The Great Silence 51
 the night Spirit: Dark Dreamers. Under its
influence, they became warriors, evil and full
of rage, and the weak had no place among
them. The Elders became the victims of a
cannibalistic ritual aiming to acquire their
knowledge. Some of the clan’s new habits
include shaving their hair and body hair and
painting themselves with Skin of Night (see
Würm page 72) to protect themselves from
the now unbearable burning sunlight. They
keep or consume a piece of each valorous
adversary they kill, to steal their strength.
At the time when the PCs fight Frosted
Antlers, the Dark Dreamers have returned
to their summer camp to renew their stocks
of tools, weapons, and most importantly
manganese oxide. They only travel at night.
The camp in the woods is abandoned, but
the traces of their madness are perfectly
visible: the Face Tree has been mutilated,
there are twisted and spiky bundles of plants
and bones hung up here and there, and
drawings in blood all around the camp limits.
The bodies of the Elders are strung up in a
gruesome fashion as a warning to visitors:
danger and death await you here.
Only Obsidian Heart and Blue Feather,
Silent Crow’s muse, are described in the list
of NPCs below. The GM can make up the
ranks of the fighters with cruel children,
hysterical women and bloodthirsty men. As
the Dark Dreamers are constantly on the
warpath, they have abandoned the taboo on
using war clubs: women and children can
now use them.
52 The Great Silence
Non Player Characters
Glowing Lion
Glowing Lion is a big, tough guy with thick
golden hair tied back with leather thongs. He
looks like a lion about to pounce. He used to
be handsome, but today he has a nasty scar
across his face, running from his eye to the
corner of his mouth. This purple, swollen
mark is a daily affront to his pride, and it is
slowly draining the natural self-confidence he
once had. Nevertheless, the hunt leader has
managed to keep his injured pride to himself,
and nobody challenges his authority. He
finds comfort by running his fingers through
the fur of his snow leopard skin cloak, made
from the pelt of the very animal that clawed
his face four seasons ago. Frosted Antlers’
curse will be like a fresh wound for Glowing
Lion, a blow to his mind rather than his
body. As the days go by, he will become
grumpier and less eager to give advice, as he
strokes his fur cape more and more often.
Strengths: Speed of the Horse, Fury of the Lion,
Nose of the Wolf, Breath of the Giant Stag.
Weakness: Disfigured
Prestige: 300; Stamina: 36; Exp: 12
Equipment: bone-tipped spear, bone
dagger, cudgel, snow leopard cape.
Secret Technique: Impaling.
Silent Crow
Silent Crow, a talented javelin thrower, is
of average height, slim and gnarled. With
a facial expression as dark as his spiky hair,
he is the spitting image of his feathered
namesake. He has been a shy, solitary person
since his childhood. He rarely speaks, and
often shows his agreement with nothing
more than a nod, when time comes to make
a decision. He does not yet have a wife, but
his heart beats for the young Blue Feather
from the Thorns clan.

Strengths: Speed of the Horse, Flight of the
Crow, Cunning of the Weasel, Heart of Ice.
Weakness: Shy.
Prestige: 175; Stamina: 24; Exp: 6
Equipment: 3 bone-tipped javelins, cudgel,
throwing stick.
Secret Technique: Flight of the Snowy
Owl.
Rumbling Sun
Sturdy yet agile, his dark eyes and hair are
the perfect opposite of his ever happy and
exuberant attitude. This young hunter is
always eager for a new adventure. In fact, he
is sometimes too eager, so much so that he
can ignore danger.
Strengths: Speed of the Horse, Quickness of the
Lynx, Secret of the Bear.
Weakness: Reckless
Prestige: 15; Stamina: 24; Exp: 3
Equipment: fire-hardened spear, cudgel,
throwing stick
Moon Stone
A lanky young man with a long face, Moon
Stone has a certain horse-like quality about
him... His patience and abilities for manual
crafts make him very popular with the other
members of the clan.
Strengths: Flame of the Salamander, Heart of
Ice, Hand of the Ancestors.
Prestige: 15; Stamina: 24; Exp: 3
Equipment: 2 javelins, bone dagger,
slingshot and roughly ten polished stones.
Frosted Antlers
He is a legendary animal corrupted by the
black rock. His characteristics are those
of a legendary reindeer with the following
modifications:
Dodge 8; Thick Skin 2
LP 30 (he was wounded during his battle
against the rock)
Initiative 2d6 + 2
Attacks [1]: Antlers 2d6+2 (Damage 2d6+3)
Running 12; Alertness 10
Special ability: terrifying.
Any character who has to face Frosted
Antlers has to carry out a Steady Nerves Test
(DT 9) or suffer the panicked effect of a
hunting roar (see Würm page 43). The buck
is immune to them.
Obsidian Heart
Half-Shadow
This tall man has a number of attractive
features: his muscular build, his virile charm,
his artistic talents... He could have become
one of the pillars of his clan, but the fire
that drives him forward is also burning him
up. He wanted to become a shaman, so he
asked Singing Thrush to initiate him. The
shaman refused and this first setback became
a permanent injury to his pride. After this
refusal, Obsidian Heart's personality became
bitter, and the other members of the clan
began to avoid him. He developed a deep
resentment towards all his companions.
Therefore when Xa Nok promised him the
powers of a shaman and the leadership of
a horde of warriors during the ritual, he
betrayed his own people and sealed his fate
by killing Singing Thrush. Of all the Dark
Dreamers, he is the only one who is truly
willing and conscious of what he is doing.
The GM can make him a recurring bad guy
if he likes.
The Great Silence 53
 Strengths: Majesty of the Aurochs, Breath of
the Giant Stag, Inspiration of the Rocks, Speed of
the Horse, Magic of the Rhinoceros, Heart of Ice
(charm)
Weakness: Individualistic.
Prestige: 375; Stamina: 36; Exp: 11
Protection: 1 Point of animal skins and
bones.
Equipment: bone dagger, bone-tipped
spear, stone war club, black rock charm that
gives the Heart of Ice Strength.
Powers of the half-shadow: Trance,
Shaman's Tongue, Contact with the Spirits.
Blue Feather
Silent Crow's secret love
Petite and graceful, Blue Feather has long
brown hair and bright blue eyes that capture
the hearts of those who see them. She also
has feelings for her shy and love-struck
suitor, and she is patiently waiting for him to
declare his intentions.
Under the influence of the black rock, Blue
Feather has become a deadly and relentless
woman. The GM can decide that, when
faced with the man she loves, she will
partially come to her senses. But it is also
possible that this will only occur if she is
mortally wounded. She could finally confess
her feelings for Silent Crow just before
taking her very last breath.
Strengths: Speed of the Horse, Grace of the
Swan, Venom of the Viper, Quickness of the
Lynx.
Weakness: Presumptuous.
Prestige: 75; Stamina: 24; Exp: 4
Protection: 1 Point of animal skins and
bones.
Equipment: stone knife, stone-tipped spear,
poison at the GM's discretion.
54 The Great Silence
Ash, Witch and Shaman
This slim young woman, skinny but not weak,
with her silver-blond hair, has a very beautiful
face, although it is now disfigured by the
burns that took away her sight.
When she was but 5 winters old, her dreams
were already filled with the Spirits of the fire.
"The fire walks with her", said the Elders.
She was therefore a natural choice to take
over from Speaking Embers as shaman of
the tribe. She carried out the initiation ritual
with a steady nerve that stunned the whole
community. She didn't let out a single sound
as her sight was taken with a hot coal. She
took on the name of Ash after the ceremony
that made her blind, as it is a smell that is now
always with her.
Strengths: Flame of the Salamander, Hand of the
Ancestors, Eye of the Panther, Venom of the Viper.
Weakness: Blind.
Prestige: 250; Stamina: 24; Exp: 7
Secret Skill: Trance, Shaman's Tongue,
Contact with the Spirits, Sorcery: Teachings
of the Bloodlands.
The Dark Beasts
These are versions of the regular versions of
normal animals, but their coats are strangely
darkened, almost black. The dark beasts are
very aggressive and only back away in the
face of violence. They honor Xa Nok. The
red wolves mentioned in the scenario above
are an example.
Bone Leg
This tall woman with wild hair was born with
one twisted and skeletally thin leg. Despite
her handicap, she has a powerful aura of
magnetism and animal-like beauty. She is not
only a witch but also a powerful shaman.
She comes from a land far away, modern-day
Siberia, and has traveled a lot. She has all
the knowledge of witches, enchanters and
shamans. She can transform into a snow
leopard, or into a majestic eagle. During this
adventure, Bone Leg will want to help the
characters to destroy the black rock, which
represents too great a danger to ignore.
Old Lynx Beard’s Wise Advice
Old Lynx Beard is an Elder and the Voice of the Ancestors for his clan. He is an old hunter, a good pain-
ter, a shaman and a musician, and he likes nothing better than to give his advice on the customs and rules of
Würm. As his advice is often wise, we must forgive his tendency to ramble on a little.
“The other day, I was cooking some snails
for myself and my old friend Steady Buck
when two of the clan’s hunt leaders came
looking for me. The generous Rock Shadow
and the tall Bounding Antelope were
pondering some of the darndest questions.
“Master Lynx Beard, something’s just
not right. When we hunt certain animals,
kill them and eat their liver, we gain the
Strengths associated with those animals.”
“Yes, for example, if I kill a bison and eat
its liver, I gain the Strength Might of the Bison
until the next day at sunrise.”
“But sometimes, when we hunt other
animals, kill them and eat their liver, nothing
happens! That’s not right, and our hunters
are complaining. Have the Spirits abandoned
those animals?”
She too has a certain amount of darkness
inside. She is constantly looking for new
knowledge and new powers to acquire. This
hunger burns from inside, but she has it in
check for the moment. The GM can make
this woman a recurring character in future
scenarios, sometimes as an ally, sometimes
opposing the PCs, but she is always hidden
and manipulative. Her Strengths and
Weaknesses are not relevant to this scenario,
so it is not worth listing them here.
Frédéric Debout
Ha ha! The two hunters sure had a keen
eye, and they were onto something!
“Have you noticed which animals this
happens with?” I asked them. But before
they could answer, I continued:
“All the great mammals that can be found
in the Fauna of the ice age, and which have
no specific Strength associated with them.
No, the Spirits have not abandoned these
animals.” I assured them. “Let’s just say that
the Creator overlooked them a little. But I’ll
tell you what it’s all about.”
“We are listening, Old Lynx Beard.”
“Here are the animals that you are
wondering about: the stag, the red wolf,
the wolverine, the reindeer, the saiga
antelope and the wild boar.
“It’s perfectly simple:
55
 The Stag, like his cousin the giant stag,
grants the Strength Breath of the Stag, but
it is half as powerful as that of the giant stag:
therefore a Long Man will gain 6 Stamina
Points, and a Bear-man will gain 5.
The Red Wolf, a close cousin of the
wolf, grants the Strength Nose of the Red
Wolf. This Strength gives a 1d6 bonus for
Tracking and Smelling, just like the Nose of
the Wolf, but does not give any bonus for
Orientation.
The Wolverine, as you know, is a
dangerous and aggressive animal. This is
why, eating its liver (well cooked) gives the
Strength Rage of the Wolverine. This
Strength gives a hunter a 1d6 bonus for hits
during combat (as does the Fury of the Lion),
and he gets a 1 point bonus for inflicting
damage if he is seriously wounded, for the
duration of the combat during which he is
wounded.
The Reindeer is a very important animal
for all hunters, and it plays a key part in all
of our lives. Do you know why? Because on
top of providing Men with its flesh to eat, its
bones and antlers to make tools with and its
warm skin to clothe us, eating the liver of a
reindeer gives the Strength Warmth of the
Reindeer, which gives us the same effects as
the Heart of Ice Strength.
The Saiga Antelope, as you also know,
is one of the fastest animals there is. That
is why when we (well, except for you,
Bounding Antelope!) eat its delicious liver,
we gain the Sprint of the Saiga Strength
that gives us a 1d6 bonus for all Running
tests, just like Speed of the Horse. But unlike
that Strength, the bonus of this one does not
apply to the fatigue tests associated with the
Running.
56
The Wild Boar is a forest animal, whose
snout is as sensitive as the nose of a wolf.
Is this not the animal capable of finding
precious truffles? Therefore, eating its liver
gives the Senses of the Boar Strength,
which gives a 1d6 bonus for Tracking and
Smelling, but also a 1d6 bonus for finding
both common and rare plants.
There you have it. But of course,” I
reminded the young hunt leaders, “the
effects of these Strengths cannot be
added to those of other similar Strengths.
Therefore, a hunter who already has the
Breath of the Giant Stag Strength will not get
any bonus from eating a stag liver. Likewise,
a hunter who has the Fury of the Lion
Strength will not get an extra 1d6 bonus for
hits if he eats the liver of a wolverine. But
he will get the +1 bonus for Damage if he
is seriously wounded! A hunter who eats the
liver of a wild boar won’t get any bonus to
his Smelling Tests if he already has the Nose
of the Wolf, and he won’t get any bonus for
gathering plants if he has the Venom of the
Viper Strength. Is that all clear?”
“I think so, Old Lynx Beard. But...”
“But what?”
“But there is an animal that you haven’t
mentioned... What about the hyena?” “Yes,
what would happen if we ate a hyena liver?”
At that, my eyes grew dark.
“A hyena, you fools? Who would be dumb
enough to eat a hyena liver? Come back
tomorrow and we’ll talk about it...”
lEmmanuel Roudier
II